A Rude Awakening
by SG-Fan
Summary: What if Fifth had pretended to be Jack in New Order and Carter had accepted it? SJ!
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Rude Awakening

Summary: What if Fifth had pretended to be Jack in New Order and Carter had accepted it? S/J!

Rating: T for safety.

Season: 8.

Spoilers: All seasons, particularly New Order 1 and 2.

Pairings: Sam/Jack.

A/N: The first chapter is written so people who haven't watched New Order 1 and 2 can _hopefully_ follow along. Also, this is unbeta'd as my beta is currently working on another one of my stories...

I hope you like it!

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Chapter 1: The Beginning: **Part One. **

Sam shrank from Fifth, a ball on the cold metal floor. "Stop it," she begged, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please."

"Why should I?" came the childish reply. He looked at her, malicious pleasure on his face as he waited for her answer.

"You can't change what happened," she replied tearfully. "Is this making you feel better?"

A look of uncertainty flashed across the young Replicators face. He hesitated; she was quick to push on.

"I never intended to abandon you." She looked into his eyes, "_You can see that_-"

"But you did," he hissed, anger and revenge winning over his momentary confusion. "You gained my trust, then you used me and left me behind."

"It wasn't my decision," she pleaded, backing away from him.

"You could have come back for me." His voice was cold, detached.

"There was no time!"

"_Time_!" He glared at her. "Thanks to what you did, I had plenty of time to think about what a fool I was!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry for what we did to you."

"Yes," he answered, "You are _now_."

"Part of being human is having compassion," she began, "learning to _forgive_."

"Yes," Fifth said sarcastically, "I'm not there yet. I need _more time_." He gave her a twisted smiled and stretched his hand out, ready to plunge it back into her head. Sam flinched and closed her eyes; sobs filled with pain and fear escaped her.

He hesitated again, obviously confused. As she continued to weep, he slowly cradled her head in his hand and began stroking her hair. She lost consciousness a few minute later.

**Å**

She awoke to the sound of whistling birds. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a small bedroom. Her brow creased as she looked around. The room was rather masculine, but there were a few a feminine touches- such as the baby blue robe at the end of the bed. She realized she was dressed in a very thin negligee and promptly reached for the robe. Pulling it on, she made her way to a door on the right. Opening it, she saw it was a bathroom. A pile of clothing that she recognized as hers sat on the corner of the sink. She dressed slowly, still not sure what was going on. Was this another ploy of Fifth's? Why he would do this though made no sense. Looking in the small mirror, she received a second shock- her normally short hair was just past her shoulders.

Swallowing hard, she made her way out of the bedroom and down the short hall; it led two separate directions- one to a well-lived in living room, the second into a kitchen. She chose the kitchen. Looking around, she spotted a scrap of paper on the table. Hastily scrawled was a short message.

_Sam, omelet's in the oven. I'm outside- don't forget a jacket. _

She checked the oven and saw the omelet. With a sigh, she looked around and spotted a rack on which hung a coat she could have sworn was hers. She tugged it on and stepped outside. It was cold. _Very _cold. Pulling the coat closer to her, she followed the narrow path down a slight slope… and to a dock.

She slowed down at the sight of it. A man stood at the end of the dock, gingerly lowering his foot down, testing the thin layer of ice that covered the pond. After a moment's hesitation, he broke the ice and then drew his foot up.

"Good mornin', Sa_man_tha," he called without turning around. "You sleep okay? You seemed a bit restless."

"_Sir_?" The surprise in her voice was obvious.

"I thought I'd try ice fishing- from the dock, of course." He faced her, a warm smile on his face. "The ice isn't solid enough though. Ya eat?"

"No," she answered automatically, not believing what she was seeing. "I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat though." He made his way to her. "You're eating for two."

Startled, she looked down and gasped. "I'm… I'm pregnant?" she said slowly, her hand automatically cradling her stomach.

"Yeah," he said, a look of concern on his face. "Three months… you okay, Sam?"

"Sir?" She hadn't been so bewildered in a long time. "This-this isn't right. Where am I?"

Jack cocked his head, obviously trying to figure out what to say. "Okay…" he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "it's all right, Sam, it's just another nightmare. You're in Minnesota- at our cabin."

"Why?"

He sucked in a breath. "'Cause we're married. Married people tend to live with each other."

"This isn't right," she whispered. "Sir, this isn't… _real_… is it?"

He cupped her face and kissed her. A moment later, he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "That real enough for you?"

"Sir, you don't understand," she said desperately, "this isn't happening. The last thing I remember, I was on board a Replicator ship. This is just another way of screwing with my mind-"

"Carter!" Jack snapped, "Listen to me!" After making sure she was paying attention to him, he continued. "Eight months ago, you were kidnapped by Fifth"- A look of pain crossed his face- "And tortured. After Thor defrosted me and removed the damn Ancient knowledge- he built a cool weapon with that info- me and the boys went on a little search for you. We found you and took you home. What happened really shook you, so you resigned from S.G.C. a month later. And we got married." Jack's eyes softened. "That was the best day of my life, Sam. Here." He handed her his wallet, "Look."

Opening it, she found a picture of them together. It looked eerily similar to the one her alternate self had had six years ago except for that in this photograph, Daniel and Teal'c lurked in the background- and Teal'c had hair.

"Oh." For some reason, she was strangely loath to part from the photograph. Ignoring his quizzical look, she pulled the photo out and slipped it into her jean pocket, handing him his wallet as she did so.

"Fifth is dead, Sam." He wrapped his arms around her. "So… do we need to go call the new doc, or do we go inside and eat?"

"Eat," she chose, ignoring the few twinges of uncertainty. "I _am _a bit hungry."

He gave her a trademark O'Neill smirk. "'Course you are… this will be the first edible meal you will have had this week." He held out his hand and she slowly grasped it. It felt real… and normal.

Right then, she chose to believe with all her heart that this was real. They walked into the house, hand-in-hand.

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Short beginning chapter but… anyways, PLEASE let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all your reviews!

Sorry for not updating more quickly- I decided to add more to this chapter and then added up re-writing it.

Some of this _is _transcript from the show, but after this chapter, it should be all original material. Oh, and all the time passing when it refers to Fifth/Sam is just time within the fantasy.

I hope you like it!

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Daniel rubbed his forehead. It had been one hell of a day.

First, he had been beamed up by Thor whilst in the middle of arguing with the three System Lords; once aboard, he soon found out that one of his best friends was missing. If that wasn't enough, Thor had tried a risky procedure- blending Jack's mind with an Asgard computer so he could (hopefully) help them find a way to defeat the Replicators. He managed to build _something_ before Thor had revived him _just_ in time. To top that, they had a nearly 'dead' Replicator in their ship, inside a pod that wouldn't hold him, while they tried to access the Replicators subspace communication.

So… if you thought about it… just another day at the S.G.C… only on the _Daniel Jackson_.

He shook his head slightly and joined Teal'c and a pensive Jack; they were watching Thor's computer screen as images from the human-form Replicator they had beamed from space slowly passed. One of them cleared up slightly. Amid the distortion, a female face could be seen.

"Zoom in!" Jack ordered, his gun still aimed at the Replicator inside the pod. _God, let it be Carter,_ he silently prayed.

Thor obeyed and the image improved slowly, showing that it was clearly Sam, trapped inside a mass of Replicator blocks.

"That's Sam," Daniel breathed. "She's alive."

"Can you pinpoint her location?" asked Jack practically.

Thor checked the map of his home planet. "She is in a small Replicator structure on the planet. It is some distance outside the colony, near a rich vein of neutronium."

"They must be using it to create more human Replicators," Teal'c observed.

"I thought the ship was destroyed." Daniel half stated, half questioned.

"At least one of the human Replicators must have separated from the main ship with Major Carter prior to exiting hyperspace."

The human Replicator chose at that moment to wake up, plunging the ship into darkness and causing chaos until Jack grabbed the weapon he had created earlier with the Asgard computer and Ancient knowledge and aimed it at him. The Replicator promptly disintegrated.

Thor's head peeked over the control console, looking inquiringly at Jack who shrugged. "Had to do _somethin_'."

The power returned.

"It seems to have permanently disrupted communication between the individual cells, rendering each one inert," Thor said wonderingly, "We explored such a technology in the past with no success."

"Great," said Jack, "I mean- we can use this thing to whack the rest of those bugs?"

"Even better, O'Neill," Thor's tone was definitely smug. "Now that I have seen what the device does, I may be able to modify a larger version to broadcast a disruption wave over all of Orilla."

"Well, good. While you're doing that..." he trailed off and looked meaningfully at the Asgard.

"I cannot transport you inside the Replicator ship on the planet," Thor said regretfully. "Their defenses prevent it. But I can get you close."

"Close is good," Jack assured him.

Thor slid an Asgard stone towards the Colonel. "Take this, so we may communicate."

Jack nodded and Thor transported the three down, Jack with the Ancient weapon in his hand.

**Å **

**Three months later in Fifth's 'Reality' **

"You want to name our child _what_?"

'Jack' stroked her arm, and pulled the blankets farther up- it was still cold in March. "Shareece," he repeated. "It's a cool name." A boyish look of glee was on his face. "We can call her Reece for short-"

"Jack," she interrupted, sitting up. "It's also the name of that Replicator android."

He was quiet.

"You're not serious."

He sighed and looked around the bedroom before focusing on his wife. "I just think it's a really cool name." He cocked his head, "Or we could name her Marge."

"_Jack_."

He kissed her and then settled back into his pillows. "I get to name this one... you get the next two?"

She studied him for a moment then let out a soft sigh. "Three."

"Deal."

Fifth watched as she slowly drifted back to sleep, content to be in his arms.

She believed it. She had fallen for it. The 'whole caboodle' as Samantha would say.

He stroked her cheek. She was his.

Sam stirred uneasily, causing Fifth to frown. Only in dreams did she question this illusion. He placed his hand on her stomach. Perhaps the birth of their daughter would change that…

**Two months later...**

"Jack, I can't do this!" Sam gripped the edges of the bed and gasped as the contraction began.

"Yes, you can," her husband assured her. "You can… just breathe… _breathe_…" he took a deep breath himself, "you can do this… you're having _our_ baby… just _breathe_…"

"I love you," she whispered as the pain subsided, "I love you, Jack." She watched, bewildered, as he first brightened and then darkened at the sound of his name. He didn't say a word, merely touching her face.

"Here comes another one," Dr. Brightman called.

The O'Neill's had flown in to meet Sam's father-Sam wasn't due for three more weeks. She had unexpectedly gone into labor on the plane and had barely been able to make it to the S.G.C.

"The baby's coming," the doctor called. "Push _now,_ Sam!"

And with a loud cry, Shareece O'Neill was born. Sam leaned against her pillow, exhausted. "Jack," she whispered several minutes later as her baby was placed in her arms, "isn't she-?"

She looked up and saw that Jack had disappeared.

**Å**

They had been fine for a few minutes- and then the Replicator swarms began. Daniel and Teal'c began shooting at the Replicators. Jack stood there a moment and then turned the Ancient weapon on them.

"Who's your daddy!" he yelled, watching with satisfaction as they began to crumble into pieces.

"**_Stop_**!"

The three men did stop, startled. They turned to see Fifth standing there, surrounded by the remaining Replicators. "If you harm me or any more of my brethren, I assure you Major Carter _will die_ instantly."

He disappeared, leaving the three men with their weapons lowered, looking at each other with flabbergasted faces.

"O'Neill," Thor began, "I have successfully modified my ship to emit a massive disruption wave."

"Excellent! I knew you could do it," Jack automatically replied, his brain working furiously on a different way to stop the Replicators that didn't involve Carter dying.

"It is fifty percent charged." Thor stopped. "If this works, you will have saved the Asgard once again."

"I'm real happy for you," Jack said, holding the stone tightly, "I'm extremely proud, but we got a little bit of a problem down here. Fifth detected our approach and he claims he can kill Carter instantly."

"O'Neill…" Thor's voice was gentle.

"Hey, I know what you're gonna say- Her life was already sacrificed, and you've got your whole planet to worry about. But I've got problems too!"

"Jack..." Daniel muttered, at the sound of incoming Replicators got louder. A minute later, hundreds of 'bugs' appeared. "This could be very bad."

Jack raised the Ancient weapon, prepared to fire… but the Replicators didn't attack, merely moved around them. "What are they doing?" He demanded. After a few more hundred passed, he spoke into the stone. "It's like they're running away. Thor, are you ready yet?"

"What is happening, O'Neill?"

"They're retreating!"

"You must stop them, O'Neill;" Thor said urgently, "the weapon is not yet ready. They _can not_ be allowed to escape."

Jack hesitated. If he went after them, Fifth would kill Carter… he exchanged a look with Teal'c and then slowly said, "Come on." He followed the Replicators, hoping against hope that Carter would be okay.

**Å**

"_Jack_!"

Sam looked around the yard, three month old 'Reece' in her arms. With a sigh, she made her way to the dock; she glanced around, not surprised to see only trees and water.

"_Jack!" _

She sighed and turned around to leave, only to find her husband standing right there.

"We must leave," he said without preliminaries.

She instinctively hugged her baby tighter to her. "Why?" she demanded.

"Trust in me, Samantha," 'Jack' whispered, "We must leave."

Sam hesitated and then nodded. "Okay. Let me pack Shareece's-"

"We must leave **_now_**," he snapped. His face softened as she stepped back, startled. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We gotta go, Sam."

"Okay," she whispered, "let's go."

He nodded and disappeared; as she stood there, bewildered, looking at where her husband once stood, a wave of white light washed over her…

**Å**

**The Daniel Jackson, Orilla. **

_One hundred percent charged… _

Thor quickly activated the weapon and watched with satisfaction as the Replicator ship, which had just started to lift off, came crashing down in billions of miniature pieces. The beam continued to wash over the rest of the planet, effectively shutting the 'bugs' down.

"O'Neill, the weapon worked," he said triumphantly. "Reports from the colony say all the remaining Replicators have been neutralized."

Jack slumped against a tree; SG-1 exchanging mutual looks of despair. Sam was dead. Damn ship destroyed. "Yeah, well," he managed to get out, "at least there's that."

"O'Neill-" Thor said suddenly, "There was a small Replicator ship that managed to escape-"

"And?" Jack interrupted.

"I scanned where it was located and-" he broke off for a moment; his voice came back excited, "I am detecting a _fourth_ life sign in your immediate vicinity."

SG-1 looked at each other and then…

"Sam! Sam!" Daniel yelled as they fanned out. "Sam!"

"Major Carter!" Teal'c called, searching the woods.

"Carter!" Jack O'Neill nearly tripped in haste to reach his second-in-command's side. She was half covered in Replicator blocks; her arms and legs bore cuts where the pieces had cut into her. He carefully pulled her out of the pile and then radioed, "Found her guys!"

When Daniel and Teal'c arrived several moments later, they found her head nestled in his lap as he checked her pulse.

"She's breathing, but unconscious." Jack held the stone and spoke into it, his eyes on Carter. "THOR! BEAM US UP NOW!"

A moment later, he and the Major were transported aboard, followed soon by Teal'c and Daniel.

"What is the problem, O'Neill?" Thor's eyes widened when he saw Carter and he quickly moved a few 'jewel thingies'. Moments later, they were in hyperspace. The little Asgard left his console and hurried to Jack's side.

"We will be in orbiting Earth shortly, O'Neill."

"Okay," Jack said quietly, cradling Sam. "Okay."

**Å **

"_NOW_!"

Dr. Brightman scurried around the infirmary, ordering the nurses about, and checking on her only patient. Sam laid on a bed, the screen next to her showing that her vitals were normal. Brightman couldn't find a thing wrong with her.

But she was still unconscious.

Jack sat beside her bed, not saying much, just quietly watching her. Daniel and Teal'c had gone to debrief Dr. Weir what seemed like hours ago. Teal'c had returned a few minutes ago with a tray of food for him that still sat on the nightstand, untouched.

He sipped his coffee. He had a long night ahead of him.

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I hope you guys weren't too disappointed in this chapter!

The next chapter I'll try to post tomorrow- it's rather short but I think you'll like it.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the reviews! Theywere awesome!

Well, as I said, this chapter is short… and rushed… but I hope you like it!

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"**_NOW_**!"

Dr. Brightman scurried around the infirmary, ordering the nurses about, and checking on her only patient. Sam lay on a bed, the screen next to her showing that her vitals were normal. Brightman couldn't find a thing wrong with her.

But she was still unconscious.

Jack sat beside her bed, not saying much, just quietly watching her. Daniel and Teal'c had gone to debrief Dr. Weir what seemed like hours ago. Teal'c had returned a few minutes ago with a tray of food for him that still sat on the nightstand, untouched.

He sipped his coffee. He had a long night ahead of him.

**Å **

_Fifth's Fantasy, over a year later… _

"Jack?_ Jack_!"

Frustrated, she sat down on the steps of their Florida home that her CO had purchased after their move from Minnesota. She had always thought that he was more of a woodsy type guy but he had begged for the beach house and she had agreed.

Time had flown for her. It seemed like only a few days ago she had-

_"Carter… Carter, you gotta wake up…" _

Sam spun around, startled. "Jack?" she called, his voice still ringing in her ears. "Where are you?"

He was nowhere to be seen.

Sam bit her lip; this was the third time she had heard _his_ voice that day. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in her hands. Her bad dreams had started again. She had woken up the night before, whimpering, convinced she was in Fifth's head. Something abnormal was going on…

_Jack, I need you… _

"Mom-mom?" the screen door was rattled. "_Mom-mom_!"

Sam looked over at her shoulder. A small form stood there, a forlorn look on her face, her blue eyes pleading. "What, Reece?" she asked. "You okay?"

"Out?"

She managed a small smile. "Not now, sweetie. I'm waiting for daddy," she explained.

Shareece's face brightened. "Dada home?" the little girl asked, "Dada?"

"Soon, baby," she said quietly, looking at the sunset, "soon."

**Å **

**Stargate Command. **

_0800, the next morning. _

"No change?"

Jack rubbed his face, glancing at Daniel as he did so. "Nope." He said briefly. "Hasn't made a peep the past fifteen hours."

Daniel nodded and hesitantly sat next to him. "You going to be okay?"

Jack barely shrugged. "Brightman said something about exhaustion- she thinks that maybe Fifth did his hand torture… thing… on her. It makes sense- he'd be pretty pissed off at us."

"You blame yourself."

It was more of a statement. Jack didn't blink.

"Yes."

Daniel bit his lip. "I wasn't there when you guys were stuck on that planet but… you didn't have a choice, Jack. You did the right thing."

"If I hadn't left him, then he wouldn't have taken Carter."

"Jack, if you hadn't left, all of you would have died, I…" Daniel trailed off as it became apparent the Colonel wasn't listening; he had turned back to face Carter, chin propped on hands. The archeologist gave a silent sigh and sat on the opposite side of his friend.

**Å **

_Fifth's Fantasy: _Over a year later…

She was sitting on the beach, waiting. The wind tossed her hair but she didn't notice.

The sun set. The sky darkened. The stars appeared.

She stood up and brushed the sand off her white capris and baby blue shirt.

He hadn't come.

Her hand was on the screen door when she heard a whispered: "Samantha."

Carter spun around at the voice, "Jack!" she hurried to her husband's side. She was startled to see how haggard he looked. "Jack, what's wrong?"

There was a tear in his eye. "Samantha… there is something I have to tell you-"

"_Carter_…"

She started and turned, looking around her. The wind blew hard but… "That's funny," she muttered, more to herself, "I could've sworn-"

"You heard O'Neill's voice." There a bitter tone in 'Jack's' voice, "I-"

"_Dada_!" the door was pushed open and a little figure ran out and into her father's arms. 'Jack' automatically picked her up. She cocked her head, her blond hair blowing everywhere. "Dada?"

"Go back in the house," he ordered harshly, setting her down. Reece hesitated then obediently returned to the porch where she stood, uncertainty on her face. Her father had never yelled at her before.

"What was that for?" Sam demanded. "She's only three, you don't need to- oh my god." She stepped back. "F-Fifth?" The Replicator had appeared where Jack had once stood.

"Yes," Fifth said with a twisted smile. "You-"

Sam backed away. "What the hell are you doing here?" she whispered, sudden fears appearing in her mind; pieces seemed to fall into place, "Where's Jack?" _No! Damn it! This wasn't happening…_

"Do you understand, Samantha? It was I-"

"_Carter… wakey, wakey_…"

"We don't have much time," Fifth said quickly, "I am communicating to you through a subspace connection- I wanted to tell you- I did this because I loved you-"

"Oh my god," Sam whispered, sinking down, "all the time, it's been you…"

"I will fix it, Samantha…" he was talking faster then she thought was possible, "soon the Asgard will find and eliminate me- I don't have much time… it's for the best…"

"Mommy!"

"_Major, I am_ **_ordering_**_ you to wake up…_"

"I will help you to forget this…" he caressed her face; a tear came to his eye when she flinched. "I love you, Samantha…"

"_Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy_!"

"Reece!" she cried, looking at her daughter on the porch, her little arms outstretched, "Fifth, no," she pleaded, "don't do-"

And their heads touched…

_It felt like the first time she had gone through a wormhole… she was dizzy… she felt sick… a white light blinded her… _

She bolted into a sitting position, breathing heavily. Someone sat up in the chair next to her. Terrified, she looked at him, clutching the blankets tighter.

He looked startled for a moment before a glad look washed across his face. "DOC!" He yelled, looking around, "DOC! SHE'S AWAKE!"

She glanced around. Her surroundings were completely alien to her. Several people scurried in and gathered around; she didn't recognize any of them. "Who are you?" she whispered, "and where am I?"

* * *

_  
_Well… what do you think? 

Just to let you know, there will be flashbacks filling in the missing years while Sam was in Fifth's fantasy.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for the awesome reviews!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**  
Chapter 4**

She stared blankly at the people surrounding her bed; a rush of fear filled her. "Who are you?" she whispered, "Where am I?"

Jack, who had been so relieved to see her bright blue eyes open, started. She didn't remember him? "Carter-"

"_Who are you_?" she screamed, drawing the attention of everyone who was in the vicinity. Two nurses were at his side instantly, a look of concern on their faces. "_WHERE AM I_?" she hugged herself; tears rolled down her cheeks, though she didn't know why.

"Doc?" Jack gasped, "What's wrong-"

In a swift move that no one expected, the Major was off the bed and made a break for the door. She was nearly out when a dark form filled the doorway.

"You cannot pass Major Carter," said Teal'c quietly, keeping a careful eye on her. The Major looked rather terrifying in her white hospital gown with white bandages covering her arms; her hair stuck up and her blue eyes were bright with fear. "I am sorry."

She gave an unearthly scream, making everyone but the Jaffa start. "Let me pass!" she ordered, trying to push her way past. He grabbed her wrists and gently held them.

"I can not."

"Please?" Frightened tears filled her eyes. "Please?" she whispered; she sounded like a lost child, desperately seeking to find her mother.

"Everything will be all right," he assured her, feeling a few tears trying to push their own way out. "It _will_ be all right, Major Carter."

"Bring her here, Teal'c!" Dr. Brightman called.

The Jaffa obliged and moments later watched, pain and dismay in his eyes, as his friend was restrained to her bed; the leather straps securely holding her down. A few moments later, her eyes closed as the sedatives Dr. Brightman administered took effect. Looking over at O'Neill, he saw the same pain on the Colonel's face. The stark fear on the Major's face- the fear and the bewilderment in her eyes when she had tried to escape… and the look of betrayal when he had returned her to her bed. Taking a seat next to O'Neill, he silently promised her that he would do everything in his power to help her regain her memory.

"What the hell happened?" Jack demanded, staring at the still form on the bed. "Why'd she go nuts?"

"She appears to have no collection of us," Teal'c said quietly. Jack glanced at him. Someone who knew the Jaffa well would know that by the slight slump of his shoulders, the Jaffa was feeling down- Jack guessed that it was Carter's fear of him. He was about to say something semi-comforting when Brightman appeared in front of them. Jack repeated his question.

"It's probably temporary," the doctor assured the two men. "Most patients waking up from comas suffer the same thing, Colonel. We just need to be patient."

"It's normal for them to flip?" Jack asked incredulously.

Brightman hesitated. "N-no… not necessarily, but Major Carter has been through a traumatic experience. Whatever happened right before she slipped into the coma must have been-"

"What happened?"

The three looked over to see an agitated looked Daniel Jackson hurrying in, a folder in his hands.

Jack simply stated, "Carter went nuts."

Daniel looked at Teal'c who confirmed it with a slight nod. The archeologist moved to Sam's side, studying her for a brief moment. "Why is she restrained?" He asked indignantly.

"Carter went _nuts_, Daniel," Jack said, more harshly then he intended- he didn't like seeing her restrain anymore then he did.

Daniel glanced at the doctor. "What's wrong with her?"

"Temporary amnesia," Brightman began slowly, "happens often when a patient immerges from a coma." She stopped and gave them a compassionate smile. "Colonel, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c… I gave Major Carter a heavy dose of the sedative, so she won't be awake for a while. You might want to take this time to rest."

SG-1 stared at her for a moment before exchanging glances. The doctor was obviously new. Daniel politely thanked her and made himself comfortable on the bed next to Sam's while Jack and Teal'c settled into the armchairs on each side of the bed.

"Right," she said quietly before moving away.

**Å**

_The next morning, 0630. _

Sam's eyes fluttered opened; they focused on the person next to her bed- the lady she had saw the night before.

She fought back the rising fear that threatened to overwhelm her. _Breathe_, she told herself._ Breathe. _She shifted; the slight movement made the doctor look down.

"Good morning, Major Carter," she said cheerfully, "how are you feeling?"

"Confused," muttered Carter truthfully. _Major Carter? _She only remembered waking up the night before, in foreign surroundings and being absolutely terrified… of something.

"Do you remember anything?" Brightman tried hopefully.

She shook her head slightly; the movement that made her realize how bad of a headache she had. Trying to massage her temples, she soon found she couldn't lift her hand up. Looking down, she saw brown straps holding her to the bed. "Why am I restrained?"

"Do you remember last night?" the doctor parried.

"_WHO ARE YOU?" She was screaming… _

Sam flinched at the brief memory of the night before. "Vaguely." She managed a half smile. "I promise I won't do that again."

Brightman reluctantly unbuckled the straps around Major's wrists. She would have preferred to have Teal'c with her when she did this, but the Jaffa had stepped out several minutes ago and she didn't know when he would be back.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, pulling herself into a sitting position. Glancing around, she spotted a pitcher of water. "Can I…?"

Brightman nodded and poured her a glass of water. "You don't remember anything?" she questioned as she handed her the glass.

"No," Sam whispered as she sipped the liquid. "Nothing." A wave of exhaustion hit her. Whatever had been in the syringe that she had been injected with the night before still hadn't worn off completely.

"Well, don't worry about it- right now, you're exhausted." Elizabeth Brightman took the glass away and gave her an encouraging smile. "You need to rest. Who knows? Maybe your memory will be back the next time you open your eyes."

Carter gave her a thin smile. "You don't have a clue what's wrong with me, do you?" She spotted a figure sprawled on the bed next to her. A man with light brown hair, glasses that laid next to him, and clad in a green uniform. She was about to ask about him when the doctor said firmly,

"You need to rest, Major. Doctors orders."

Sam frowned. Major? _What kind of name is that_? She sighed but began to close her eyes. Another form next to her bed in an armchair caught her attention.

"That's the man from last night."

Dr. Brightman nodded. "Yes… he's been very worried about you. He'll be glad to know you woke up again..."

Sam didn't hear the rest; sleep overtook her.

**Å**

"How is she, doc?" was the first question Jack asked when he woke up, thirty minutes later.

"She woke up for a few minutes," the doctor began, handing him a breakfast tray; she stood over him and made sure he took several bites of the oatmeal. "Her memory still hasn't returned." She held up her hand to stop any questions, "Be patient, Colonel."

"Patient." Jack snorted, looking at the bed. He saw Carter's terrified face as she stared at him the night before…

"Patient," he repeated, "I hate that word." He dropped his spoon back into the empty bowl, turned his chair towards to Carter, and immersed himself in a magazine he had been reading before he had fallen asleep. Elizabeth Brightman looked at him for a moment and then softly stole away.

**Å **

"Have we tried the Asgard again?"

Dr. Weir looked at the tired eyes of Daniel Jackson. "Dr. Jackson," she started patiently, "we've tried several times to contact them without success. I'm sure that the Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet will come when he can." The brunette leaned back in the leather chair. "Anything else, Doctor?"

"It's Daniel," the archeologist reminded her absently, "and yes… did we manage to contact the Tok'ra?"

"Jacob Carter left a list of worlds we should be able to have some form of contact wit when the Tok'ra-Human alliance became strained and he was forced to leave," Elizabeth said slowly, "and we left messages at each one, requesting that he would visit here as soon as possible, but there's no way of knowing if he actually got the message."

Daniel sighed and got to his feet. "Well, thank you… Elizabeth."

She gave him a small smile. "I'll see you later, Daniel."

**Å**

Jack sipped his coffee as his yoyo unwound.

_Sixty-eight…_

He glanced at Carter before winding the string around the blue yoyo and dropping it again.

_Sixty-nine… _

"Jack."

The Colonel straightened as his second-in-command turned her face towards him, her eyelids fluttering open. "Afternoon, Carter," he said amiably. The blue eyes that looked at him were bewildered.

"Where am I?" she asked.

Jack's heart sank. She didn't remember… _anything_? Still? _What the hell did you do to her, Fifth? _"You're home," he quickly assured her. "You're safe."

She pulled herself into a sitting position. "How come I can't remember anything?" she whispered.

"That is," Jack began, "what Teal'c calls a 'lengthy tale'."

She gave him a puzzled glance. "Teal'c?"

"Right…" If she had amnesia or whatever, she wouldn't be able to remember. "He's the guy with the gold thing on his forehead."

Sam shrugged slightly, obviously not remembering him; she looked around. "What does it take to get food around here?" she joked.

He grinned companionably, glad to see her sense of humor was returning. "The doc left to go find you some stuff. She'll be back soon."

"'Kay." She was quiet until the doctor entered with two trays. Thankfully she began to eat…

_"I want you," she whispered before kissing him again. _

_"Why? I mean, no!" _

She lowered her fork, puzzled. Seeing the man looking at her, his head tilted, she bent over her food again. _'Why are you in my dreams?' _she wanted to ask.

"_It's my sidearm, I swear_..."

She sipped her water. _What the hell is going on?_

"_Oh God, he's telling you the truth!" She looked pleadingly at the man; she could only see his back, "Please, Jack, no Jack, please, don't leave me, please, give me a chance! Don't leave me like this! Please_!"

Her fork clattered against her plate, making several people look over at her. "What?" Jack demanded instantly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm- I'm fine-"

_"Get out of there!" she was yelling to the man next to her… a spear hit his left shoulder and pinned him to a wall… she groaned with pain with him…_

"Major?"

Sam started. Something wasn't right… "I'm fine," she said automatically, "I'm fine."

He nodded, not reassured. "Want me to-" his cell rang. He answered it and talked quietly for a moment; he stood up. "I've got to go… I'll be back later," he promised.

She watched him go and then mechanically finished her food, pondering on the images. Several minutes later, as the doctor took the tray away, she drifted back to sleep, uneasy.

_Something isn't right… _

**Å**

"How is she, doctor?" Dr. Weir asked quietly, as she stood next to Major Carter, scanning the still form.

"She woke up several times," the doctor informed her, "but she doesn't appear to remember anything, ma'am. Other then that, she's in perfect health."

"So… she has amnesia?"

"We're theorizing that she was tortured by the same hand… thing… that happened to SG-1 while they were on the Replicator planet nearly two years ago." The doctor shrugged helplessly, "Maybe…maybe it just happened too many times…"

"I thought you said all of her brain scans came back normal."

"They did." She took a deep breath. "I'm guessing her memory will return slowly but… for now, we just have to be patient."

Elizabeth Weir nodded and looked back at the sleeping figure. She turned to leave and saw O'Neill entering the room.

"Colonel O'Neill," she greeted.

"Dr. Weir." He managed a small smile. "Everything going okay?"

She shrugged. "I've got a few nations still fighting over the Antarctic weapon, but other then that? Just dandy."

He nodded. "All in a day's work." He gave her another small smile and made his way to his second-in-command's side. As she watched, he made himself comfortable. With a small, sad smile, she left the room.

**Å**

"_Sir, just go!" _

"_NO!" _

_His brown eyes bore into her tear-filled blue eyes. "No," he repeated, nearly inaudibly. _

She stirred uneasily.

"_Because I care about her… a lot more then I'm supposed too." _

It was there… names… Jonah. Therra.

She remembered an itchy suit… remembered cuddling with** him**…_ Jonah_.

Sam opened her eyes and saw_ him_ sitting there, fast asleep. Her brow wrinkled. She was sure she had heard someone call him Jake… or Jack…

Another image of them together appeared; they were calling to each other- they were in a dark place, but they weren't afraid or sad- they were _happy_. "Jonah," she said softly, "Good night, Jonah."

And with that, she fell into her first restful sleep she had had since she returned to Earth.

* * *

Well, I hope you like it…

PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for reviewing!

I won't be able to update as quickly as before- I don't have any written material left. Hopefully, I'll be able to update once a week…

One last note: I wasn't happy with how my last chapter turned out, so I re-wrote it and added more content.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Can I speak to this... Dr. Weir then?"

Dr. Brightman sighed and reluctantly gestured for one of her orderlies to retrieve the civilian leader. Sam remained stubbornly silent until the civilian leader appeared.

"What can I do for you, Major?"

Sam managed a tight smile. "Permission to walk around... ma'am."

Elizabeth Weir hesitated. She hadn't personally been there the night before last, but she had heard from several eyewitnesses that the Major had completely freaked out. Dr. Brightman's reports did indicate that the next day that Samantha Carter still suffered memory loss but was much calmer. She looked at the doctor who was giving her an unreadable look, and then back at Carter who was giving her a pleading smile.

"Can you even walk, Major?" she asked, stalling for a minute.

Carter grimaced but lowered the railing, careful not to disturb the man fast asleep next to her. She slipped off the bed and tentatively stood up. "I think so." She took a few unsteady steps before nearly collapsing; she grabbed the edge of her bed to steady her.

"Major-"

"Dr. Weir," Carter interrupted, "I know I'm not in the greatest shape… but I _need_ to get out of her. _Please_."

The two doctors exchanged glances and Weir finally nodded. "All right, Major. I'll get two Airmen to escort you."

"Thank you." She looked down at her hospital gown and the hesitantly asked, "I don't have to wear this all the time… do I?"

**Å**

Jack yawned and sat up, glancing at his watch as he did so. "What the-?" His watch read 1208 hours. Looking to his right, he saw that Carter's bed was empty.

"_Doc_!"

He bolted to his feet and hurried to the little room. Brightman was going over her records, but stopped when she saw the Colonel. "Sir," she got to her feet. "Can I help you?"

"Where's Carter?"

"She's at the commissary. She woke up this morning and asked to be allowed to walk around. Dr. Weir agreed- Airmen Wilkes and Todd are with her, sir."

Jack nodded his head before disappearing from the infirmary. Five minutes later found him entering the commissary. Looking around, he spotted her in the corner, bent of a goblet of jello, the Airmen standing a respectful distance behind her. Squinting, he ascertained that the jello was… _red_?

He made his way to the dessert section, selected blue jello, and then hurried to her table.

Sam cocked her head as he approached. "Hi," she said shyly.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked.

"No, not at all."

He sat down. After a moment, he pushed the goblet over. "For you."

She gave a small smile. "It tastes… funny," she murmured, gesturing to the red jello.

"That's 'cause you only eat blue," he said with a grin, taking the jello away and passing her the blue. "Come on, Carter, don't you even remember your beloved blue jello?"

"Carter?" she repeated with a frown, "I'm… Therra… aren't I?"

Jack's spoon froze halfway to his mouth. "What?"

"Therra… I'm Therra… and you're Jonah." Her smile grew. "I remembered it last night."

He dropped his silverware and cleared his throat. "Wow… haven't heard that name in a while…"

She giggled. "No?"

"Well… you see, Carter…" How did he explain that they had been trapped on an alien planet, their 'real' memories covered up by false ones? Hell, she couldn't even remember who _he_ was!

"We mined together," she said, taking a large bite of jello.

"_You know, there are things about this place that I like," she said thoughtfully._

_Jonah looked at her, surprise on his face. "Really?"_

_She smiled slightly, a meaningful look on her face. He looked away for a moment and then something clicked._

"_Would it mean anything," he began a few seconds later, "if I told you I remember something else?"_

"_What?" She snuggled against him._

"_Feelings."_

"_Feelings?" she questioned._

"_I remember feeling- feelings."_

_Her smile grew. "For me?"_

"_No, for Tor." He waited a moment while she laughed softly before continuing. "I don't remember much, but I __**do**__ remember that."_

"You… I… I remember us… we're down in this dark place… and we're talking… about feelings…" She looked at him; he was staring at her, a mixture of emotions on his face. "Are you okay?" she inquired. "You look pale."

"Peachy," he managed to get out, "listen- I got to run… catch you later." He ignored the bewildered look she gave him and was out of the room a minute later and on his way to the gym.

"Therra…" he said softly. _Those were happy times. _Sure, they had been enslaved… but down there, with their memories gone, they had gotten closer then the Air Force would have ever approved. He shook the thoughts away.

The gym was nearly empty, a fact Jack was immensely grateful for. Making his way through the room, he eventually settled on the weights. He wasn't sure how long he was there before he noticed a figure sitting quietly to his left.

Carter.

"Need something, Carter?" He placed the bar back on its hooks and sat up, giving her his full attention.

She folded her hands. "Did… did I offend you? Or something?"

"No," he said quickly, "not at all." He wiped at the sweat on his brow. "Why'd you ask that?"

Her shoulders barely shrugged. "I asked Airman Wilkes about you. He said that your name is Jack O'Neill. Not Jonah."

"He's correct."

"And I'm not Therra," she said softly.

"You're Major Samantha Carter," he informed her. "Your friends call you 'Sam'."

She looked puzzled and slightly hurt. "We're not friends?"

"We are…" he cocked his head, "Why wouldn't we be?"

"You always call me 'Carter'," she murmured, "You said my friends call me Sam."

_Oh boy_. "I'm your CO- I have to call you by your last name."

"C.O?" she questioned, "W-what's that?"

"It stands for Commanding Officer," he explained.

Sam nodded like she understood, but he could tell she didn't. "See- we're part of a team… You, me, Daniel- he's the guy with the glasses- and Teal'c- he has the gold thing on his head-. I lead the team- you're next in line after me."

"Oh." She still didn't understand. "I-"

The door to the gym opened, letting in a handsome man in his thirties, and a tall, black man.

"Tor." The word slipped out before she couldn't stop it. He was Teal'c- Jon- she meant Jack- had just told her that.

"It is Teal'c," the Jaffa quietly corrected. "Do you not remember me, Major Carter?"

Sam bit her lip as she heard his wistful tone. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't apologize, Sam," the other man said gently, "it's not your fault."

"That's Daniel," muttered Jack nearly inaudibly.

She looked at them and waited for the same perplexing flashes to appear. To her surprise, no recollections of either of the men appeared.

"Jack." Daniel gestured with his head. The Colonel raised an eyebrow but followed the archeologist to the corner.

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Fifth's dead." Daniel said abruptly. "The Asgard just contacted us."

Jack stared at him. "How do they know?"

Daniel blinked. "What?"

"How do they know he's dead? It's not like they could find a body or anything."

"Well…" the archeologist pushed up his glasses absently, "Thor said that Fifth apparently escaped right before the beam washed over Orilla. A day later, the Asgard detected a small Replicator structure just beyond what the disrupter wave could reach, so Thor-"

"What's the real point, Daniel?"

"Thor said… that if Sam and Fifth's mind were linked when he… died… then..."

"Spit it out, Daniel," Jack ordered grimly.

"It's possible that she will never remember anything before what happened two days ago."

After delivering his bombshell, Daniel studied his friend carefully. The Colonel had been surprised into silence- something that rarely happened.

"No." Jack looked up, already shaking his head in denial, "She already remembers… things…" he trailed off. Sam had said they had been vague recollections… but she _did_ remember them- him.

"Like what?" Daniel asked softly. "What does she remember?"

"She remembers the time when we were trapped on that one planet." He looked over at the far corner where Carter was situated. "Y'know- the one where we had our memories 'stamped'."

The archeologist followed the Colonel's gaze. Sam was sitting on a gym mat, her arms wrapped her knees; Teal'c was next to her, a look of compassion on his face. Jack watched her for a few silent moments before saying, "We'll ask the Asgard to help her."

**Å**

"It is possible, O'Neill," Thor said gravely, "but I am unsure whether the procedure would be successful." He looked over at Dr. Weir (who was trying to look unsurprised to see a naked alien in her office and succeeding remarkably well) and gave her a polite nod.

Jack O'Neill massaged his forehead. "But you _will_ try?"

"I will attempt it, O'Neill," the alien promised him earnestly.

"Just checkin'." He had to repress the urge to hug the lil' gray guy. If anyone could fix this, Thor could. He stood up, his hand on the door. "Let me go get Car-"

With a flash of light, he found himself on Thor's ship.

"-ter." Jack looked around and shook his head. "Right."

Carter and Thor appeared simultaneously several moments later.

Sam stared around her surroundings. If looks weren't deceiving, she was on an alien ship, with an alien standing next to her, his large, black eyes filled with concern for _her_. She automatically moved closer to Jack- a move that didn't escape him.

"Don't worry," he assured her quietly, "it's Thor."

' 'Thor' was an _alien_!' Sam wondered what her life was like _before_. Apparently she associated with aliens frequently… but wouldn't she remember that? "Oh." She gave him a small smile. "Hi."

"Greetings, Major Carter," Thor said cheerfully as he made his way to the other side of the ship, "O'Neill has asked me to help you."

"Help me?" She glanced at her CO, puzzled. "Help me _what_?"

"Thor's going to try and restore your memory," Jack explained hastily, "The little guy's got some cool toys." He gave her a reassuring smile and turned away, following Thor to his console.

"Jack."

O'Neill halted and about-faced, half ready to correct her. The hesitant look on her face made him stop. "What's up, Carter?"

She shifted slightly. For some unknown reason, asking him what she was about to ask him seemed very important… and she was scared to know the answer. "Are we… _were_ we… _together_… at all?"

He blinked. "I uh…" _Oh, god, what do I say?_ "We… work closely together. We're friends. Best of friends."

"Then why…" she trailed off; she took a deep breath and began again. "_Why_ is it that I only remember you? That my dreams are filled of you?" Frustration was evident in her voice. "You're the only person on this planet- this galaxy- that I remember and I want to know _why_. Why you?"

"_Because I care about her… a __**lot**__ more then I'm supposed to…_" A dozen words he had whispered over four years ago during a zay'tarc test. Twelve words that had haunted him for months afterwards. He had cared greatly for Carter for years… but that had been the first- and last- time he had admitted it in public. Looking up, he saw her eyes were bright with unshed tears- and confusion. She didn't remember the regulations that had stopped anything from ever happening between them. She couldn't remember anything about her former life… except for a brief time when regulations hadn't existed and they had both been happy.

"Jack?"

The whisper startled him; he didn't know how long he had stood there, lost in his thoughts. "Sorry," he automatically apologized, "I-"

"O'Neill"- the alien's voice made both of them start and turn to him- "I am ready to begin the procedure."

Jack looked at Sam and saw the pleading look in her eyes. He knew he should've said something but he didn't. After all, she'd get her memory back in a few minutes and she would remember why it could not be. Squeezing her shoulder, he followed Thor across the room.

A small device- about the shape and size of a showerhead- was positioned in one corner of the room.

"Please stand there, Major Carter."

She gave him an apprehensive glance but slowly made her way under it. "Now what?" She asked, looking at her CO. It was Thor who answered calmly,

"I will begin."

Several thin, red laser like light criss-crossed over her head and Sam closed her eyes…

_She was a in a large room, telling a scowling man. "You don't have to worry, Major. I played with dolls when I was a kid." _

"G.I. Joe?" he questioned.

"_No. Major Matt Mason."_

Before she could remember anything else, she was whisked along into another memory.

"_Open the Stargate!" She was in another room, holding a gun on one of her teammates. She felt out of control. _

"_Jack," a man whom she recognized as Daniel demanded, "what the hell is going on?" _

"_Open the 'gate now!__** I command you**__!"_

She shuddered slightly, feeling powerless. A different image appeared.

"_Carter?"_

_She stopped and turned around. "Yes, sir?" _

"_How are you doing with this... twin thing?" _

_She gave him a small smile, touched that she had asked. "Do you have a couple of hours?" she joked. _

_He hesitated a minute then nodded. "Okay." _

_She raised an eyebrow. "That __**wa**__s the answer." _

"_Oh, __**oh**__." _

_She couldn't help but smile again. "Good night, sir."_

Jack watched her narrowly as he moved closer to Thor. Carter stood as still as a statue, her eyes closed. Occasionally she'd shudder slightly then go still again. "She okay?"

"The procedure has never been tested on humans before, O'Neill," was Thor's uncomforting answer. "And it is possible that the Replicator Fifth erased any recollections prior to his death. We will not know until this is complete."

"_What?" Jack O'Neill was going to do it. The dangerous procedure that Anise had suggested. The one that had made Astor go crazy and kill herself. "He can't!" she protested._

"_He's on his way down now," Daniel informed her. _

"_Why is he doing this?" she demanded. _

_Daniel answered again, "He said he'd rather take the risk instead of being put to sleep indefinitely." _

"_But Astor-" she tried. _

"_If it happens, he thinks Anise can use what she would learn to save you," Janet said quietly. _

_She pushed past them; but was stopped at the doorway. Ignoring Daniel's soft 'Sam', she cried out, "Colonel!" _

_He looked over his shoulder; he didn't say anything- he just gave her a long look and then turned back, continuing down the hall…_

Another image appeared; she was in the same room as her first one, staring disbelieving after a bald man.

"_Take it easy?" she questioned her CO who stood next to her._

"_Yeah," he agreed. " You've been a little tense." _

"_Tense?" she sputtered, "Me? I'm not tense ... am I?" Sam looked around and then lowering her voice, she asked, "When did you first notice?" _

_He replied slowly, "As We __**Met**__." _

"_I've always just thought of myself as being very"- she made air quotes- "Focused." _

"_It's called working too hard," Jack responded with distaste, "you're gonna crash and burn." _

_She thought for a moment and then admitted, "I really don't have that much more to do… sir." _

"_Well, find something. Take up ... golf..." He grinned and started to walk away, "Fly a kite ... knit something. _

_"I…" she watched him leave and said hopelessly, "I'm fine!"_

"How long is this going to take?" Jack asked. "We've been here for…" he checked his watch, "Ten… minutes…"

"Patience, O'Neill."

'Easy for you to say," he nearly retorted.

"_Thank you," she said with heartfelt gratitude._

_A young man in his twenties stood there. "You won't leave without me?" he questioned. _

_She swallowed hard; what she was about to do had her blinking back tears. Forcing a small smile, she lied, "No. Head for the ship in a little over three minutes." _

At that memory, something changed. It was like someone was squeezing her brain… her head felt like it was about to explode… she was in incredible pain…

She opened her mouth to scream but a hand was pulled from her mind. "Stop it," she begged the man she had just promised not to leave, her voice barely above a whisper, "please…"

It was like someone was fast-forwarding a nightmare. At the end of it, she found herself in front of Jack. He smirked at her and held out his hand; he was asking her to trust him- to believe that this was all real. She slowly grasped it. It felt real… and normal.

Right then, she chose to believe with all her heart that this was real. They walked into the house, hand-in-hand.

"_Jack_."

With that whispered word, Samantha Carter blacked out.

"_**Carter**_!"

Jack pushed past Thor and knelt beside her. A moment later, she was in his arms. "Beam us down to the infirm-"

He appeared beside a bed.

Without hesitating, he dropped her on it and called for Brightman to come over. Within seconds, medical personnel surrounded her. He stepped back and let them work.

**Å**

"What happened?" Daniel demanded from his position on the floor. The archeologist had been in Dr. Weir's office when Jack, Thor, and Teal'c had appeared beside him with the news that Sam was in the infirmary, unconscious. SG-1 was soon in the infirmary, surrounding the sleeping Major.

She hadn't woken up.

Now, six hours later, the humans had regrouped in the Doctor's office, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Thor had returned to his ship to process the data he had received during the procedure.

"I don't know," Jack said wearily; he had repeated that nearly a dozen times over the last hour. "One minute she saw standing there, the next minute she was on the floor. Thor beamed us down into the infirmary and then informed you and Teal'c."

Daniel sighed and nodded. "When will-"

There was a knock on the door; a second later, it flew open, revealing a young, female Airman.

"Colonel O'Neill," she gasped, not looking at anyone else, "Dr. Brightman said to tell you that Major Carter is awake!"

Jack bolted from Weir's office, not waiting for a dismissal. Racing down the halls, he entered the infirmary only minutes later.

Carter was sitting up, a look of confusion on her face. "Jack," she began as he neared her, "what the hell am I doing here?"

He halted beside her, vaguely aware that Teal'c had come up behind him. "You passed out before the procedure was finished," he explained.

"Procedure?" she echoed; her brow furrowed. "_What_ procedure?"

_Not again. _He didn't think he could bear another memory loss. "The one that we were doing on Thor's ship- to try to help you remember."

"Remember _what_?" She was startling to look alarmed. "What happened?"

It was Daniel who spoke next, "Sam, you've had amnesia for the past week."

"What?" Sam looked back and forth between them, "You're not serious."

"Indeed we are, Major Carter," Teal'c assured her.

"Well, I don't have it now!" she cried. "You're Dr. Weir," she gestured to the brunette doctor who stood next to the archeologist, "Daniel, Teal'c, Jack…" Carter trailed off helplessly and looked at Brightman.

Several people noticed the use of 'Jack' instead of her customary 'Colonel O'Neill' but didn't remark on it.

The next few words were like a splash of cold water on the face.

Sam looked down at her stomach and stared. A few long moments later she looked up and asked quietly, "Where the hell is my baby?"

* * *

I hope you liked it.

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the update hold up. These past weeks haven't been the greatest. I have a plan for the next chapter so it should be out within the next two weeks.

ShyofLife: That would be cool... only I don't know it that can work out.

Anyways… congrats to **Sam **for getting _all_ the flashback episodes! They are (in order):

1. Children of the Gods  
2. In the Line of Duty  
3. Point of View  
4. Divide and Conquer  
5. Ascension  
6. Unnatural Selection

Also to **Meghan** who named all but the second one. Many of you got most of them. The only two missed were (I think) _In the Line of Duty_ and _Ascension_.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Um… _what_?"

Though rather inadequately stated, it expressed the thoughts of everyone surrounding the Major.

Jack stared at his second-in-command. "What the hell did Thor do to her?" he demanded, turning to face Brightman. The doctor was shaking her head.

"I don't know, sir," she said quietly, "her memory appears to be back-"

"She thinks she's _pregnant_!" _Could Replicator's-? No…_

"What do you mean '_thinks'_," Sam demanded, stiffening. "I-"

"What's the last thing you remember, Sam?" Daniel interrupted. Sam frowned at him but answered,

"Jack and I were at his cabin. We went inside to eat breakfast and…" she trailed off, trying to think.

"So that's the last thing you remember?"

She slowly nodded. "Yeah." Confusion appeared in her blue eyes. "Did I blackout once we got inside?"

Jack was about to point out that she had never stepped foot inside his cabin when Dr. Brightman suddenly turned to Jack and asked for a word in private. Curious, he followed her into the small office; once inside, the doctor turned to face him.

"Colonel," she began quickly, "I'm not sure what has happened, but something is obviously wrong-"

"Ya think?" Jack demanded. "Doc, she thinks she's _pregnant_! The last thing she remembers is being at _my cabin_. The only person on my team whose been there is Teal'c!"

"I need you to play along, sir."

"Trust me, if Carter -" He stopped as the words registered. "What?"

"I need you to play along," she repeated.

"You want me… to pretend- to play along with whatever the hell Carter is thinking?"

"Yes, sir."

"Brightman, I don't even know what the hell she _is_ thinking!"

The doctor saw the raw fear in the man's eyes. The helplessness that he felt could be seen on his face. "I know," she said softly, "Right now, I just need you to go in there and just calm her."

He looked at her and then glanced at the floor. "What do I tell her about the kid?" He didn't wait for an answer but marched out of the room. Making his way to the somber group surrounding Carter's bed, he began in a forced cheerful voice, "Doc here thinks you need to rest a bit. She's going to sedate you- so you can sleep easier."

She looked like she was about to protest so he laid a finger against her lips. "Doc's orders."

To his complete surprise, she merely gave a small nod. Jack gestured to Brightman who promptly administered the sedative. A minute later, Sam's eyes drifted closed; her even breathing could be heard after a few more moments.

"Jack?"

Looking at the archeologist, Jack could see the same helplessness mirrored on his face. "Daniel?"

"Sam said something while you were gone." Daniel stopped; after a minute, Jack impatiently prodded him and he continued, "She said… she said…"

"Said what?" Jack asked humorlessly, "We're married?"

"That is precisely what Major Carter said," Teal'c said evenly.

Jack was silent for several long moments; Dr. Weir was about to ask if he was all right when he roared, "THOR!"

**Å **

"I am still going through the data collected, O'Neill. I will inform you the minute I am complete."

Jack looked incredulously at the hologram. "Thor, she thinks we're _married. Married. M-a-r-r-i-e-d-_"

"You have said so several times, O'Neill," Thor interrupted, his patience stretched. "It will not make my work go any faster." The hologram disappeared.

Jack heard a slight snort and turned, frowning. The unfortunate Airman mumbled a quick apology and backed out of the room.

Daniel didn't turn from his position at the bottom of Sam's bed. "So what are we going to do?" he asked quietly.

The Air Force Colonel sighed. "We wait."

**Å**

2200… Thor hadn't made contact in the past five hours. What the hell was taking him so long?

The Colonel rubbed his eyes and sat back in his chair. Carter was still sleeping- Brightman had administered more sedatives to keep her asleep until this was figured out.

He sighed and watched as Carter shifted in her sleep.

This whole Carter thing was getting old. Not that he minded watching over her. He didn't mind the wait. It was the whole 'What the hell is going on thing' that seemed to happen every time the Major opened her eyes that was getting to him.

He wanted Carter back. The one that knew who she was. Who could save their asses from the Goa'uld and the Replicators.

The one who knew that they weren't married.

He rested his chin on his hands and prepared to wait (impatiently) for Thor's arrival.

**Å**

Aboard the _Daniel Jackson_, a small figure stood in front of a console. Manipulating the stones, the Asgard smiled as video appeared on the screen; seconds later, sound appeared: _"You don't have to worry, Major. I played with dolls when I was a kid." _

Thor carefully watched the few memories that flashed on the screen; to his surprise, it blacked out right after a memory of the Replicator Fifth. He was to contact O'Neill when images appeared again. Thor watched as Carter pleaded for the Replicator to stop the torture. He slowed it down as the Replicator knelt down and cradled the Colonel.

Ten minutes later, Thor removed the stone from the console and looked around, an unusually grave look on his face.

O'Neill would not like what he found.

**Å **

For the second time that day, Jack O'Neill found himself on the bridge of the _Daniel Jackson_. Seconds later, he was joined Daniel, who was holding two cups of coffee, and then Teal'c, who had obviously been in the process of mediating. The Jaffa got to his feet and Daniel handed Jack one of the cups.

"I have grave news, O'Neill," Thor started, making his way to SG-1.

"What do you mean- grave news?" Jack and Daniel demanded simultaneously.

"I have finished going through the data recorded during our attempt to help Major Carter regain her memory-"

"Get to the point!" Jack cried.

"It is partly my fault, O'Neill, that this has happened." The Asgard hung his head. "I am truly sorry."

"How is it your fault?" Daniel questioned. "You didn't-"

"I triggered the illusion that Fifth implanted in Major Carter's memories."

The three men were silent.

"Of what do you speak, Thor?"

Thor focused his big eyes on Teal'c. "While going through the data, I noticed a few anomalies. Investigating further, I found memories that must have been fabricated by the Replicator Fifth."

"What kind of memories?" SG-1 asked as one.

"Memories of Fifth's life with Major Carter," came Thor's hesitant response. "I believe that Major Carter, while prisoner aboard the Replicator ship, was tortured and then had this fantasy offered to her. She chose to accept it."

"Why would Carter play along?" Jack demanded. He knew that she still felt guilty over what they had done to the bug guy, but accepting a fantasy? Carter? When she knew that her friends would do whatever was necessary to rescue her?

"O'Neill." Thor made his way to one of the console and twisted one of the stones. "This is one of the mental images Major Carter last experienced before she lost consciousness aboard this vessel. I believe it to be part of the illusion."

Jack stared with mixed emotions as he watched the screen. Carter exited a house- his cabin, he recognized- and started down the path that lead to his dock. At the end of it, stood… _he_? On the screen, he turned and began talking to her. Jack couldn't hear what they were saying but at the end of the conversation, they walked off, hand-in-hand. At the door, he stopped and placed a hand on her belly, covering her own; he said something that made her laugh. With a grin, he pushed the door open… and the screen turned black.

"What happened?"

"That is all I was able to extract before Major Carter collapsed." Thor hesitated and then said slowly, "Before destroying the Replicator structure and the Replicator Fifth, we detected a sub-space transmission leave the ship. Fifth managed to link their minds for a few brief moments. I'm not sure of his intent, but it appears that he either removed the memories that he had made with Major Carter, or suppressed them."

"Why would he do that?" Daniel asked softly. "Why would he remove the illusion he planted in her mind?"

No one answered the archeologist's question.

"Fifth was unable to suppress the last memory because the Asgard destroyed him before he was able to. But why was he even removing them in the first place?"

"Upon closer examination of the data, Daniel Jackson, I believe that Fifth was merely suppressing the illusion-"

"But why even do that?" Daniel looked at each of them in turn and continued earnestly, "I mean, he knew the Asgard were bound to find him… and he spends his last minutes, when he could've been escaping, to suppress these memories. Why would he do that?"

"Who cares?" Jack burst out. "Who really cares? All I want to know is, is that if Fifth really did suppress all this stuff, how come she still think that we are… together…?"

"I'm guessing it's because she still has this memory"- he gestured to the screen- "in her mind. She thinks that _that_ is reality." The archeologist's face softened as he studied the image of Sam Carter, frozen on the doorstep of Jack O'Neill's cabin, one hand protecting her unborn child. "It also explains why she still thinks she's pregnant."

"So how do we fix that?"

SG-1 looked at Thor. The little gray guy shook his head slightly. "I am afraid we can not do anything."

"What?" Jack cried.

"There has to be something!" Daniel insisted.

Thor let out what Jack supposed was the Asgard equivalent of a sigh. "There is one thing."

**Å**

"Thor says the only reason she still believes in Fifth's fantasy is because she _wants_ it to be real." Daniel stopped and looked Dr. Weir in the eye. "Since you're the leader of this base, I'm sure you've read some files that have made you suspect that something might be going on between Jack and Sam. And you'd be right. Though they've never acted on it," he added hastily, "but that's not the point. The point is, is that Sam is unwilling to relinquish this particular memory."

Dr. Weir stood up, feeling a little overwhelmed. To say that the past few days had been stressful would've been an understatement. "So what we have to do is… get Major Carter to…?"

"Sam needs to admit the memory is false. Once she admits it, Thor _thinks _her memory will return."

"Just like that?"

He thought a second and nodded his head in agreement. "Just like that."

"I don't see the problem," Elizabeth admitted.

Daniel massaged his forehead. "Figuring out the answer was the easy part. The hard part is going to be to get Sam to let go of that 'memory'."

* * *

Again, sorry for the long wait and...

PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 7

Aloha!

So it was more then two weeks... sorry about that! This past month seems to be one thing after another… and then I got sick and I couldn't really write… Ah… this chapter was mostly a problem 'cause I dug myself into a hole with mentioning the baby in the other chapter. So, anyways…

I hope you enjoy it! (Or at least tolerate it.)

* * *

_  
Stargate Command, the infirmary. _

He studied the serene face of his second-in-command, half dreading the moment in which she'd open her eyes.

Thor had told what he had to do. He had to make Carter give up a memory. A false one at that.

Sounded easy, right?

He felt a hand cover his own and the person next to him whisper, "Jack."

Jack had a gut feeling that this might take a while.

Swallowing hard, he looked down at Carter. Her blue-gray eyes were slightly clouded from her drugged sleep, but her small smile was as bright as ever.

Now that he thought about it, only a few months ago she had woken up and whispered his name. His disbelieving 'Excuse me?' has brought her to her senses.

He wished he would do that now.

"Good evening, Carter," he said with all the cheerfulness he could muster. "Or"- he checked his watch- "more accurately, good morning."

"What time is it?" she asked.

Jack rubbed his eyes and settled back into his chair. "Two hundred hours."

She nodded. Covering a small yawn, she murmured, "You should get some sleep, Jack."

"We need to talk."

Unconsciously she rubbed her ring finger, toying with a non-existent ring. "What's wrong?"

'_Break it to her gently,_' Daniel had coached him. '_Don't drop a bombshell on her_.' Or something like that.

"This… isn't real."

She pulled herself into a sitting position. "What isn't real?"

"This!" He waved around the room then stopped. "Okay, _this_ is real, but whatever it is that _you're_ thinking, isn't."

A bewildered look flashed across her face. "_What_?"

Jack sighed; he carefully perched on the end of her bed and began quietly, "Whatever it is that _you_ think is real… _isn't_. There _is_ no_ us._ There is no baby. And you have_ never_ been to my cabin before. Ever."

If he hadn't been watching her closely, he would've missed the flash of understanding that flitted across her face for a second before denial hit.

"You're wrong."

Her calm, matter-of-fact voice worried him more then a panicked denial would have. "I've been wrong about a lot of things, Carter, but this isn't one of them." He cleared his throat. "Trust me. I'd know if we were… you know…"

"Married?"

He nodded. "You're holding on to a false… memory… thing. Thor says that Fifth planted some sort of fantasy-illusion thing in your head. That's what you're remembering."

She snorted. It was a distinctly un-Carter'ish thing to do. "Jack," she began patiently, "_this_ _is_ real!" Pushing back a strand of blond hair, she explained, "I left the Stargate program a year ago after I was captured and tortured by Fifth. For months afterwards I had nightmares. Every time I woke up, I was never sure of what was real and what wasn't… and then, one day, you showed up at my house, you drove me to your cabin, and then…" she trailed off, lost in thought. Jack was about to argue when she continued.

"You were there for me. Every night when I woke up, drenched in sweat, you were there. You helped keep me sane." Again she stopped. This time, she leaned forward and looked into his eyes as she whispered, "And we got married, Jack. _Married_. After eight long years, we finally did it." A shy smile graced her lips, making Jack wish even more that Fifth was alive… what he would've done to that son of a b-

A thought struck him.

"If this is real, why aren't you pregnant?"

Her eyes darted downwards. A look of horror and bewilderment spread across her face. For a brief moment, Jack was hopeful that Thor was wrong- that she would relinquish the memory.  
_  
'That didn't take too long…'_

"Oh, god, this is another nightmare, isn't it?"

Okay. This could take a while.

**Å **

"What the hell am I going to do?"

"She didn't believe you?" Daniel asked, unsurprised. He hadn't expected his friend to believe them immediately, but one couldn't help hoping.

"She thinks that _we're_ the 'illusion'. She's in denial!"

"It's understandable," Daniel said quietly. "She finally gets the life she wants- I'm not surprised that she wouldn't want to let it go."

Jack gave the archeologist a look of genuine astonishment. "What was wrong with her old life? She seemed happy enough… with Pete…"

"She was content, Jack, there's a differ- oh, my god."

"What?" the Colonel demanded.

"Pete."

"What about him?"

The archeologist blinked owlishly at him. "Well, we have to tell him about Sam."

"Why?"

"Jack, they're dating."

"So?"

Daniel removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. "So…" he answered, sliding the glasses back on, "He cares for her. He should know what's going on."

"He doesn't have high enough clearance. Besides, what are you going to tell him? That Carter's currently under the impression that I'm married to her?"

Daniel winced. He couldn't imagine that'd go over well. "Well, we have to tell him _something._"

Jack clapped him on the back. "You'll think of something."

The two sat in silence before Jack announced, "I'm hungry. Want something?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. I think I'll go sit with Sam for a bit."

Jack nodded. "Okay then." He ambled over to the doorway then paused. "You never said what I should do about this whole mess."

"I don't know, Jack. I honestly have no idea what to do."

"Right." Jack disappeared down the hall. Daniel looked down; his eyes fell on a picture sitting on the corner of his desk. Picking it up, he studied it.

It was one of SG-1, taken off-world by a member of SG-7, a few months after his return from 'Ascendee Land' (as Jack persisted in calling it). The photo showed them all grouped around a pillar; Teal'c was gazing impassively at it, while he, Daniel, was busy trying to convince a skeptical Jack that the pillar was worth staying a little longer. The Colonel was looking at Sam, a small smile of amusement on his face as she similarly tried to talk him into staying; her face animated by the discovery of certain energy readings.

They had ended up staying if he remembered correctly.

With a soft sigh, he set it down and left the room.

**Å **

"Colonel O'Neill? A word?"

Jack looked up from his half-eaten tuna sandwich. Dr. Brightman stood there, a wary look on her face. "I… guess…" he gestured to the chair across from him.

"In Dr. Weir's office?" she asked.

With a shrug, he picked up his sandwich and followed her out of the room. On the way there, she questioned him about his interview with Carter and how it went. When he had finished she remained lost in thought until they were outside of Elizabeth Weir's office. She knocked.

"Come in!"

Jack pushed open the door then stepped aside, allowing the doctor to pass. Weir didn't look surprised to see them; she mouthed an apology and gestured to the phone tucked under her chin. "Yes, Mr. President, but-" she was quiet for a few seconds, "Mr. President, I understand, but he is currently-" A frustrated look came over her face. "Yes, Mr. President. Good-bye."

She dropped the phone back into its receiver and sighed. Planting her hands on her desk, she asked, "Colonel, doctor, what can I do for you?"

"What'd the President want?" Jack asked curiously.

Weir sighed again. "President Hayes would like Dr. Jackson to be transferred to the Antarctic base."

"He won't go. Not with Carter like this."

"I am aware of that, Colonel." She gestured for them to take a seat. "Does this have something to do with Major Carter?"

Dr. Brightman inclined her head. Jack shrugged. "Brightman asked me to come with her."

"Yes, ma'am, this has to do with Major Carter. We have a situation on our hands."

"I guessed that."

"Major Carter believes that she is married to you, Colonel. Nothing we say shakes that belief."

"Yeah, well, she also believes she's _pregnant_," Jack muttered. "What are we going to do about that?"

"It appears that the more we try to convince her that the memory isn't real, the more she believes it."

"So, what- we just… leave her alone until she remembers?" Jack looked skeptically at the doctor, not thinking much of the plan. "We just started doing this! It's going to take time."

"No," Brightman answered, referring to the first part, "I think that you, Colonel, need to play along."

It took Jack a few moments to realize she was serious. "What?"

Dr. Brightman rose to her feet, obviously already prepared for his objections. "I've consulted with another doctor, one who specializes in this type of thing, and he has put forth the possibility that if we play along with the fantasy. If we recreate it- Major Carter at his cabin-"

"No."

"-Perhaps the inconsistencies between reality and the illusion will cause her to question the memory, which will, hopefully, eventually lead to her relinquishing the fantasy-"

"I said-"

"Earlier you said that she seem to briefly question it when you pointed out her lack of child-"

"You want me to lie to Carter?"

Brightman squirmed a bit. "Not lie, Colonel. Just… play along for a bit."

"I can't-"

Dr. Weir did the 'time out' signal and both fell silent. "Who did you consult, Dr. Brightman?"

"Dr. Anthony Williams, ma'am."

She nodded, recognizing the name. "Colonel? Dr. Williams is known for his peculiar methods, but he has had a high success rate. I understand your reluctance but I think you need to seriously consider this."

Jack remained silent.

"As of today you, Colonel Jack O'Neill, will be playing Major Carter's husband."

* * *

Well.. what do you think?

Hate it? Love it?

PLEASE review!


	8. Chapter 8

Aloha!

Well… it's not a long chapter, but I thought I should post this before people forgot about it completely… 0.0

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Jack left Weir's office a few minutes later, his head spinning.

He had received many assignments throughout his life, many of them unusual.

They paled compared to this one.

He, Jack O'Neill, was to pretend he was married to his second-in-command.

Okay, he had to admit- there were times where he would've gladly welcomed such an assignment. Or wished it had been so.

However, being forced to deceive Carter about something so important… it didn't sound like much fun.

Teal'c found him in the gym an hour later, busy beating the crap out of one of the boxing bags. Being Teal'c, he merely stood there, silently observing, until Jack finally stopped. After wiping the sweat off his brow, he reached for his water bottle.

"So?" he asked after he swallowed some of the cool liquid.

Teal'c cocked his head.

"What do you need?"

"I do not require anything, O'Neill."

"Then why the hell are you standing there?"

One of Teal'c's eyebrows came up at his unfriendly greeting. Jack sighed and tossed the water bottle back onto his pile. "Sorry, T. Bad day."

"What has occurred, O'Neill?"

Jack tossed the gloves into a box. "Had a little talk with Weir."

Teal'c cocked his head.

"She wants me to something to help Carter. Doc Brightman told her that… that if we did a little bit of playing around, Carter's memory might return."

"I do not understand, O'Neill. What is it you are required to do?"

"Play Carter's husband."

A flicker of astonishment was the only indication the Jaffa had been surprised. "I see."

"Yeah," Jack muttered. "I thought you might."

**Å **

"Are you going to come in or just stand there all morning?"

Daniel gave Elizabeth Weir a small smile and eased into the room. Weir laid down her pen. "Is this about what I told Colonel O'Neill about you?"

The archeologist looked curious. "About me what?"

"The President," she explained. "He asked me to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Daniel asked slowly.

"President Hayes would like you to be transferred to the Antarctic site. You'll be in charge of the-"

"No."

She wasn't surprised at his answer. "Dr. Jackson, I assume you haven't been informed of the plan?"

"Apparently not," he said wryly. "What plan?"

"Colonel O'Neill and I talked with Dr. Brightman. Under these… unusual circumstances, we've decided that it would be best to go along Major Carter's… illusion."

"We did…?" Daniel never claimed to know the innermost workings of Jack O'Neill, but… despite all the military regulations and other barriers, he knew the Colonel loved his second-in-command. Playing along, while it might sound tempting, would end up being--

"Dr. Jackson?" Elizabeth gave him an apologetic smile when he started. "Sorry, you spaced out on me."

"Sorry," he apologized. "Um, no, Jack never told me this." The archeologist leaned back in chair, trying to process what he had been told. "How, exactly, are we going to go along with Sam's-" he paused for a second and then finished, "illusion?"

"You, Dr. Jackson-"

"Daniel," he automatically corrected.

She nodded. "Daniel. Dr. Brightman believes that it would be best if things played out as they did in Major Carter's reality-to make her question what she believes."

"So they're going to his cabin?"

Weir inclined her head.

"Alone?"

"You weren't part of her fantasy," Elizabeth reminded him quietly.

"So…" Daniel started. "Basically, I can wait here, or I can wait in the Atlantis outpost."

The civilian commander was quiet.

"I'll uh… have to get back to you." He rose to his feet. "Excuse me."

**Å **

"Dr. Brightman, there is no reason-"

"I'm your doctor and I feel other-"

"I've been in bed for almost two weeks- you said so- and I-"

A half smothered chuckle made the two ladies look up, still scowling. Jack stood there, a look of bemusement on his face as he took in the picture in front of him: Carter, sitting up, her face flushed with annoyance while long-suffering Brightman, next to her, was vehemently opposing her suggestion.

"Jack-" Carter started as Dr. Brightman similarly began with, "Colonel O'Neill-"

"Aah, aah!" He waited until they quieted. "So… what's the problem?"

"I-"

"She-"

"Ahh! Carter first."

"I want to get up." Sam grimaced at the childish sound in her voice. "Jack, I've been in this bed ever since I've woken up. I want to take a shower, get dressed in my clothes…" She focused her blue eyes on him. "_Please?_"

Sometimes he thought Carter should wear sunglasses. And a mask. It was almost impossible to say no to her when she looked like that. "Brightman?" he questioned. "Any reason why Carter shouldn't be able to get up?"

"Sir," the doctor hissed, "she's just been through a traumatic event-"

"Which she doesn't remember. Come on doc," he quietly argued. "What harm can a shower do?"

**Å **

What _harm_ can a _shower_ do?

Had he _really_ said that an hour earlier?

He stifled a groan and looked at Carter, currently asleep on his lap, her damp, blond and silky strands of hair ticking his right arm. Carefully, he extracted his left arm from underneath her and brushed them back.

A shower.

Brightman gave in reluctantly but decreed that Carter must ride to the locker room in a wheel chair, something Sam (unsurprisingly) fought… and lost. Both the doctor and Carter looked at him expectantly once she was seated.

"Oh." He gripped the handles to the chair. "Let's do this thing."

They were both quiet on the way to the locker room, Sam lost in thought, Jack unsure of what to say. They passed various SG teams who gave them both sympathetic looks. Everyone heard what had happened to the Major.

"Why is everyone staring at us?"

Carter's curious question broke the silence. Jack looked down. "We've uh… been gone a while," he mumbled.

"We've only been married a few months, Jack."

He suddenly realized he didn't know exactly how they had gotten married. Where? When? _How_?

"Right." Jack stopped in front of the locker room. "Well, if you need me, I'll be out here."

Sam slowly got to her feet. "Can you help me to the shower, Jack?"

The Colonel had a bad feeling about this.

**Å**

"And dad said…"

Jack twitched. The smell of the citrus conditioner or whatever it was was driving him crazy. Its tropical fragrance filled the room and made him even more acutely aware of the woman inside the shower, currently hidden by a thin white shower curtain.

"Jack?"

"Um…" _Something about dad_. "Yeah… so, when's dad coming to visit?"

"Soon," she said cheerfully. The water stopped. "He said he'd try to get away this month but… you know dad."

He sure did. He had a feeling the old man wouldn't like the current situation much. Jack started as Sam's dripping blond head shot out of the shower. "Jack, would you hand me a towel?"

He fumbled for the piece of cloth hanging on the side the shower. "Here." He held it out for her to take. She slowly accepted it and retreated.

"Is something wrong?" she called from behind the curtain.

_"I doubt she'll believe that I suddenly remember being married," Jack pointed out earlier in Weir's office. "We **did** kind of do our best to tell her that that was a lie." _

_"The false memory should cover that," Brightman assured him. "It'll be as if you had never said that." _

Well, _she_ may not remember but _he_ did.

"Nope."

"Hmm." The curtain opened and Sam stepped out, wrapped in the white towel. He let out a strangled cough.

"I should go," he managed to get out, doing his best to avoid looking in his second-in-command's direction. "I uh… promised Weir I'd meet with her. I'll send Daniel to-"

"Wait a second," Sam called over her shoulder, making her way to her locker, "I need to talk to her. I'll only be a minute."

Jack paused in the doorway; after a moment, he reluctantly eased back into the room, careful to keep his back turned. "Okay."

He could hear the locker being opened and a few moments later, Sam began to hum.

Carter rarely hummed. After a little while, he was able to make out the tune. It was the Simpson's theme song she was humming.

'_That's my girl_.'

'So," she began, appearing at his side, her damp hair tousled. "When are we going back to the cabin?"

"Soon," he answered. "I just have to finish up a few things."

_Like contacting your boyfriend and telling him you'll be gone for a while, getting a hold of dad and letting him know what's going on… fun stuff. _

Sam smiled at him; a playful, flirty smile he had only seen a few times in his life. "Then let's get going."

**Å **

After leaving orders with Walter to contact Jacob, and a brief chat with Weir, Jack found himself back in the infirmary, his second-in-command asleep in his lap.

How the hell that happened, he wasn't quite sure.

But right then, he didn't care.

Covering a yawn, he leaned his head against the wall, allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

**Å **

"Jack?"

Daniel stood next to the bed, studying his friends. It looked so… _natural_. Sam's head on Jack's chest, Jack's arm protectively wrapped around her. He hated to wake him.

"Jack?" he whispered again. The Colonel stirred. As he woke enough, he noticed what was lying on him. Gently, he lowered Sam onto the pillow and slipped off the bed. Sam didn't wake.

"Yeah?" he quietly asked.

"Dr. Weir asked me to let you know that a jet will be departing for Minnesota tomorrow."

Jack looked back at Sam. "So soon?"

"Dr. Brightman thinks it's for the best."

Jack nodded and massaged his neck. "So, you going to Antarctica?"

Daniel glanced at Sam. "I would go with you and Sam but Dr. Brightman-"

"Doesn't think it's for the best," Jack finished. "I know you would. I appreciate it."

"Yeah." The archeologist bit his lip. "You going to be okay, Jack?"

He didn't answer. "Tell Weir we'll be ready."

**Å**

Jack pushed open the door, feeling vaguely guilty for breaking into Carter's house. He stepped inside, not surprised to see that it was its usual immaculateness. Teal'c followed him in.

"T, the suitcases are downstairs I think. Wanna grab me one?"

The Jaffa inclined his head and started downstairs while Jack headed into her bedroom. When Teal'c reappeared with two small suitcases, Jack had piles of clothing on the bed. Silently the men packed, Teal'c not even blinking as he packed the Major's underclothing. Jack headed into the bathroom; after staring at the various bottles and containers on the sink, he swept all the toiletries into a duffle bag; Teal'c made sure the rest of the house was locked up. Grabbing the suitcases, they headed out, locking the door behind them.

Jack stopped at his house next. He tossed some clothes into a backpack, knowing he already had some at his cabin. He was about to leave when he remembered what else he had to do. Slowly, he picked up the phone and dialed the number he had gotten from Carter's address book.

After a few rings, a voice answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Pete Shanahan?"

"Yes," came the wary response. "Who's this?"

"This is Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm Carter's commanding officer."

"Is she okay?" Pete demanded.

"She's fine," Jack said slowly. "However, she won't be able to reach you for a while. I thought you should know."

"What happened?"

"That's classified for now," he answered.

Pete swore under his breath. "Can I see to her?"

"Not right now." Jack hesitated then added, "As soon as she can, I'll have her call you."

"Is there anyway I can contact you?"

Great. Just what he wanted. Carter's boyfriend checking in every hour. "I'll keep you updated."

There was a heavy sigh. "Take care of her."

"I plan too."

As he hung up, he caught Teal'c giving him 'the' glance. The one he always gave him before he said something that made him feel uncomfortable.

"Not now, T," he warned. "Not in the mood."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I was merely going to inquire whether or not we should return this DVD, O'Neill." He held the rental movie.

"Right."

**Å **

_Fifth was in front of her, a sneer on his face. "Yes," he whispered. "You're sorry now… now that you're in my power." _

_And his hand plunged into her head. _

Sam sat up, breathing heavily.

'_It's just another nightmare,_' she assured herself. '_Just a nightmare…'_

After every nightmare though, she was left with a vague sense of unease- a feeling that something wasn't right.

That thought fled from her head as she looked to her left and spotted her husband lying on the bed, fast asleep.

She remembered opening her eyes for the first time after she was rescued from Fifth; the first thing she saw was the anxious face of her CO. Every day after that, while she had been trapped in the infirmary, he had stayed by her until he release. After that, he had carried her off to his cabin for some much-needed R & R. Every night, nightmares had awakened her and he had been there for her.

She remembered the simple wedding. Daniel and Teal'c, her father and General Hammond had been there- the only guests invited. Short and sweet- just as Jack liked it. The wedding night…

Sam tossed in her bed. More then anything, she wanted Jack right now. With her.

He looked so peaceful though…

She turned over. Maybe when they got to the cabin.

**

* * *

**

I hope you liked it! It was originally a lot longer but what I had was pretty poorly written so I took it off. :-P

The next chapter is half written, so unless I'm still sick, it should be out within the next two weeks, preferably sooner.

Saturday is my birthday... reviews make great presents!


	9. Chapter 9

Well, here is a fairly long chapter to make up for the long delay! I'm sorry about the wait- my sister has been in the hospital (she was hit on the hit which messed up her skull) and I was in charge of my siblings while my parents were with her in L.A so I didn't have a lot of time to write. She's home now (_yay_!) so hopefully I'll be able to update again soon, but won't promise anything as all I'm doing is proving myself a liar.

I hope you like this chapter! (And again I'm **_really _**sorry for the delay!)

* * *

**  
Chapter 11 **

**_The next day, 1400. _**

"Jack, we're going to be late!"

A slow smile spread across his face at the excited spark in Carter's eyes. Her face was lit up in a way he generally only saw when she was brought a new alien doohickey. "Slow down, Sam," he said amiably, shifting the suitcase to his other hand, "plane's not going anywhere without us."

With a childish grin, she turned to Daniel and started questioning him about his upcoming trip to Antarctica. As they chattered, Jack glanced at Teal'c who had been characteristically quiet.

"Thanks for coming, T," he said quietly as they neared his truck.

Teal'c inclined his head.

"So, what are you going to do when you get back?"

"I intend to visit Rya'c and various leaders of the Jaffa rebellion."

Jack pulled open the car door for Daniel and Carter to enter the back, leaving the passenger seat for Teal'c. "Fun."

"Indeed."

"Say hi to Ishta for me."

Teal'c gave him a side-glance. "I shall."

As he started the engine, he looked in the review mirror and caught Carter's eye. She gave him a small smile before looking back at Daniel.

Earlier that morning, the archeologist had appeared in the infirmary while Sam was getting discharged and announced he intended to accompany them to Minnesota and stay for a day before leaving for Antarctica. Teal'c hadn't said anything but the duffle bag slung over his shoulder indicated what he was going to do. Jack knew the Jaffa would only stay as long as Daniel did but…

_Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all._

**Å**

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, it is."

"Is not."

Daniel blinked. Staring at Jack, he demanded, "How is it not?"

"It's just… not."

Sam looked at the seat across from here where Teal'c sat, looking bemused. "What are they talking about?" she asked quietly.

"I am uncertain," he answered in the same tone. "O'Neill mentioned a sport played on ice; the conversation has changed much since then."

She grinned and looked out the window. All she could see right now were clouds and a bright blue sky- a perfect day for flying. A slight movement made her glance to her right; her husband was lowering himself next to her.

Jack had been acting rather odd the past few days, she mused, but now… he seemed more relaxed, more at ease.

With a small sigh of content, she settled into her seat, letting the voices of her husband and friends wash over her.

She would be home soon.

**Å**

Jack generally drove to his cabin, so he had never had to worry about a car. His cabin was twenty miles from civilization, about forty from the landing strip. Now that he thought of it, he didn't think there was a 'Rent-A-Car' or an Enterprise around for at least another ten miles.

He pulled out his cell phone once they were off the plane, prepared to dial for a car when a young man stepped up to him and asked, "Excuse me, sir- are you Colonel O'Neill?"

"I am," he said, sliding the phone into his leather jacket pocket. "You are?"

"Kevin Benson, sir." The young man beamed at him and handed him a pair of keys. Pointing to two black trucks he said, "Compliments of a Dr. Weir, sir. She also asked me to secure some groceries- they're in a ice chest in the back, sir."

Elizabeth really had thought of everything, he thought with a small smile. "Thank you, airman."

"You're welcome, sir." He turned to leave and then stopped. "Oh," he began, digging into his pocket, "she also asked me to pass this on to you." He handed Jack a folded piece of paper.

On it were a few lines written in the doctor's neat handwriting. Jack scanned it and then stuck in his pant pocket. "Thank you."

Kevin nodded and left. Jack turned around to see Sam's blue eyes on him, her head cocked. "What was that about?" she asked.

He gestured to the truck. "Weir had a car ready for us."

She looked at him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow.

"The note?" she said finally. "Did she… say anything?"

Jack blinked. Was Samantha Carter… _jealous_? After a moment, he mentally shook his head. Surely not. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the piece of paper and handed it to her. "You can read it," he said, sticking his hands in his back pockets and rocking on his heels. He wasn't sure why but the thought that Carter was jealous about him… his grin faded when he realized that she thought that they were married. Of course she'd be jealous.

But _still_…

Sam slowly opened the paper and read the few words written.

_Colonel O'Neill, I hope the arrangements made are all satisfactory. If you need anything, I have included Dr. Brightman's and my own cell numbers. Please don't hesitate to call. _

_Best of luck,  
Elizabeth Weir_

Slightly flushed, she handed it back. "Best of luck with what?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. He doubted explaining the true purpose of their visit would go over well. "Need some help with the luggage, T?"

**Å **

"So this is the infamous cabin you kept threatening to take me," Daniel murmured, gratefully exiting the truck. He looked around, pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

"Not bad, is it?" Jack asked proudly as he closed the door of 'his' truck.

Daniel gave a non-committal shrug. The glimmer of dread and resignation in Teal'c's eyes made him wary of agreeing with the Colonel. "Where do we put our bags?" he asked.

Teal'c slapped his arm, flicked the now dead mosquito off, and reached for the ice chest. Only his love for his teammate (Sam, not Jack) could've ever brought him out here again.

SG-1 entered the cabin; Jack directed Daniel to the guest room while Teal'c made his way to the kitchen. After leaving the archeologist, Jack started back to the living room. Inside there, he mentally groaned.

Sam stood in the doorway. Her face was a blank slate but in her eyes, he could see the confusion as she took in the fairly tidy but obviously masculine room.

"Something wrong, Sam?" he asked; he stepped in front of her. "You okay?"

She barely nodded. "I… I thought we…" She shook her head, determinedly pushing away the nagging feeling that the blue couch had been a brown leather sofa, and that the living room had been painted a different color. What color, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't brown. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" He cocked his head. "You look a little-"

"I'm fine, Jack," she interrupted. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked into his eyes. "Really."

He nodded. "Okay."

Sam squeezed his arm. "I'm going to go help Teal'c throw away all the moldy stuff in there," she said, a small smile flashing across her face. A crash coming from the direction of the bedrooms made her smile grow. "Maybe you should go help Daniel."

He nodded again; his eyes followed Sam as she entered the kitchen. A few moments later, he could hear her and Teal'c discussing the condition of a bottle of salsa. He moved down the hallway and stopped in the doorway; Daniel stood in the closet, looking chagrined.

"What'd you do now, Spacemonkey?" Jack asked with a grin as he took in the fallen shelf and closet rod. "Trying to do pull-ups or something?"

"Ha ha," the archeologist muttered. "I just put the suitcase on the shelf and it… collapsed." With a grunt, he pulled the case from the wreckage.

"Let me see that," Jack ordered. Daniel handed to him; the weight of the bag made him stagger. "What the hell is in this? Your entire rock collection?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "My research on the Ancients, some books I thought might be useful, photocopies of all-"

Jack held up his hand, effectually stopping him. He dropped the suitcase on the bed next to a backpack. "What's in that?" he asked curiously.

Daniel blinked. "Clothes, personal items."

A slow grin spread across Jack's face. Only Daniel would have filled a large suitcase full of papers and tablets while stuffing his clothes in a small backpack. "Of course it is." He clapped him on the back. "Want some lunch?" He checked his watch. "Or dinner, I should say."

Daniel pushed up his glasses. "Dinner?"

"It's six o'clock. Dinner."

The archeologist smiled. "I can't remember the last time I ate," he murmured.

"Come on," Jack invited. "I'm sure Teal'c and Carter are whipping something up."

**Å**

Jack poked the mass on his plate. "Er… what is this, Teal'c?"

"A dish similar to a Jaffa dish known as Kurmac, O'Neill." The Jaffa looked at the two men. "Is it satisfactory?"

"It's great," Daniel mumbled, stabbing the heap of black… something. "So… what's it made of?"

"Chicken," Sam said wryly. "Chicken and a whole lot of spices and stuff."

"Does it have to be so black?" Jack whispered to no one in particular.

Sam blushed. "My fault," she admitted. "I put the oven on too high." She took a tentative bite of the food. Her eyes widened but she swallowed. "It's uh… spicy."

Teal'c nodded as he finished his own bite. "Indeed."

SG-1 exchanged glances and then, as one, pushed their plates away.

"Chinese?" Jack inquired.

"Sounds good."

**Å**

"Oh, come on," Daniel objected, looking at the DVD Jack held with distaste. "Let's watch something else!"

"_Star Wars_," Teal'c suggested.

Jack glanced at his friend. "Sorry, T," he said, not sounding the least bit apologetic, "I don't own any of 'em."

"I brought them with me, O'Neill."

"Of course you did." The Colonel pointed to his left with a plastic chopstick. "Sam? Preference?"

Sam swallowed her mouthful of fried rice. "We watched Star Wars in October, Teal'c. That was only three months ago."

"All of them," Jack muttered under his breath. "Every single second of them."

The scientist hid a smile and looked at the movie Daniel was offering. "We watched _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ last team night," she reminded him.

His shoulders slumped. "So it's-"

"_The Wizard of Oz_," Jack said with satisfaction. "_Excellent_," he murmured in his best Bond's imitation.

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged disgruntled looks but settled back into the armchairs, resigning themselves to nearly two hours of singing, evil witches and red shining shoes that when clicked together thrice sent you home.

**Å**

"Ohhhhh... What a world! What a world!"

"Jack," Daniel complained for the seventh time, "If we have to watch this movie, at least we could do it without you quoting-"

"Shh," Jack dismissed his complaints. "It's almost over."

The archeologist opened his mouth to say something, looked at him, and then turned his attention back to the TV. Jack caught Daniel's quizzical glance and looked down; his eyes widened as he realized that a pair of long jean covered legs were stretched across his lap.  
He followed the legs up to a blue t-shirt clad chest (he didn't dare let his eyes linger too long there) and up to a beautiful face that was lit up by bright blue eyes currently studying the TV.

When had that happened? Not that he was Einstein or anything, but he was pretty sure he'd notice if his second-in-command had stretched out across him.

But those were definitely her legs on his lap.

"The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side," Sam chanted along with the scarecrow, drawing his attention back to her face. Her brow wrinkled a bit as she said thoughtfully, "Which is inaccurate- an isosceles triangle is a triangle with at least-"

"Ah!" Jack scolded. "No science talk while you're at the cabin. Rule number five."

"What's rule number one?" Daniel questioned curiously.

Jack gave them an evil smile. "My secret." He glanced at Sam. "The one line you can remember from this movie is a math line... Why am I not surprised?"

Her foot dug into his leg, making him jump a bit. "Not all of us have watched this a hundred times," she teased. Before Jack could respond, she rolled off the couch and onto her feet. "Does anyone want beer? A soda?"

"Ginger ale, Sam."

"I would enjoy one as well, Major Carter."

Sam didn't appear to notice the use of her maiden name. "Jack? You want a beer?"

Daniel alone noticed the spark of uncertainty in Jack's eyes before he answered in a slightly strained but cheerful tone, "Yeah, thanks honey."

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged glances and then turned to face the TV.

**Å  
**_Several hours later…_

Sam fidgeted and glanced at the clock. _Nearly twenty-two hundred…_

She yawned and stole a look at the couch. Jack sat there, a beer in hand, debating with Daniel about the Simpson's. She yawned again. This time, Jack looked up. "Tired?" he asked with an easy smile.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll go to bed…" she trailed off, giving him a meaningful look. To her chagrin, he merely nodded and said,

"Okay, get some sleep."

Sam bit her lip. After a second, she made her way to Daniel and gave him a hug. "Night, Daniel."

"Good night, Sam."

Teal'c bowed. "Pleasant dreams, Samantha Carter."

"Same, Teal'c." She turned to her husband, a bit uncertain. "Good night, Jack."

He set down his beer and rose to his feet; after a second, he opened his arms. "Night, Sam," he whispered in her ear as her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Sam pulled back, looked at him a moment and then kissed him. Hard. He was unusually slow to respond but eventually he did. A bit breathless, she whispered, "Good night," and slipped out of the room.

Jack looked at the archeologist who was gaping at him and at Teal'c whose eyebrows had reached record height. Dropping onto the couch, he asked slightly dazed, "More beer, anyone?"

**Å**

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" the Colonel grunted.

"My head hurts."

Jack didn't bother to look over at the armchair. "Daniel, you had _a_ beer."

"It still hurts," came the plaintive reply.

Jack groaned as the grandfather clock in the corner stuck two. "Come on, Danny boy," he said, getting to his feet. "Time for bed."

The archeologist accepted the hand up. "Whoa," he said involuntary as his feet hit the floor. "Is the room spinning?"

"Nope." Jack helped Daniel down the hall; he pushed open the spare room open with his knee. With a grunt, he managed to get Daniel on the bed. He tugged the sheet so it covered most of the archeologist. "Night."

"Jack."

He looked at the dark form on the bed. "Yes, Daniel?"

There was a loud yawn. "Sorry, um… this uh… might sound a bit crazy-"

"It usually does."

"-But try to enjoy this a little."

Jack was quiet. "Enjoy what?" he asked after a minute.

"You're doing this to help Sam out." Two soft 'thuds' were heard as Daniel's shoes hit the floor. "I know that you feel like you're lying to Sam, that somehow you're betraying her trust, but you're not. You're helping her-"

Teal'c sat up on his bed. "I will attend to Daniel Jackson, O'Neill."

"Okay." He hesitated in the doorway a moment. "Night, T."

"Good night, O'Neill."

**Å**

"_Shit_!"

Jack opened his eyes and promptly wished he hadn't; the smoke that was starting to fill the room stung his eyes.

"Carter?" he barked, trying to peer through the smoke. "Sam?"

There was a sudden rush of cold air in the room and the smoke noticeably cleared up. He spotted his 'wife' holding the front door open. "What happened?"

She tried to smile. "Making breakfast," she answered, frustration evident in her voice. "Dr. Brightman called to ask how I felt; I was away only for a second but by the time I got back…" Sam gestured to the kitchen. "That had happened." She left the living room door ajar and walked over to the window and pulled it open; she stared out of it. "I can't even make bacon without screwing that up."

Jack looked at Carter with unabated astonishment. "Sam," he started, "you're like… our national treasure. You've saved the collective asses of Earth from the Goa'uld more times than I can count. You've found out important… science… stuff… that I don't understand but you assure me will change the laws of physics forever. And…"

Still looking out, she gave a small smile. "And?"

"You're beautiful. Hot- incredibly hot," he added. "Brilliant. Kind. Good with kids…" He rose to his feet and his way to her side. "Who cares about whether or not you can make a slice of bacon?"

She looked at him, a tear in her blue eyes. "I love you, Jack," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

Jack slowly returned her hug. "Yeah," he whispered; unconsciously, he kissed the top of her head, "I know you do."

She tilted up her head and her lips slowly parted. He knew she was about to kiss him…

"Jack," Daniel called from the bedroom. "Do you have any aspirin?"

Sam stepped back. "I'll get him some," she said softly. "Want to see if you can find something for breakfast?"

He nodded, feeling an unexpected twinge of disappointment. "Sure."

When Daniel appeared in the kitchen twenty minutes later, complaining of a massive headache, Jack took a slightly malicious pleasure in rattling pans as loud as he could.

**Å**

Sam stepped back. "Good-bye, guys. We'll miss you."

Daniel nodded. "I'll miss you too. Don't forget to call me."

"I won't." She hugged Teal'c. "Tell Rya'c I said hi."

"I will do so."

Her cell-phone rang. After glancing at the caller id, she groaned. "I need to take this."

Teal'c bowed. "Farewell," he said as Daniel called out, "Bye, Sam."

Jack watched her until she was out of earshot before turning back to the Jaffa. "You sure you have to go?"

Teal'c gave Jack a sympathetic look but inclined his head. "I must, O'Neill. Dr. Brightman assured me that if Major Carter's memories are to return, they will do so more quickly if I am not present."

Jack sighed. "I was afraid of that." He clapped him on the shoulder. "Take care, buddy."

"And you, O'Neill."

The Colonel turned to Daniel. Despite his earlier annoyance, he couldn't help but wish that he could stay. "And Daniel…try not to have _too_ much fun."

The archeologist, despite his hangover, was already starting to look perky as he remembered what awaited him in Antarctica. "Sure, Jack," he said sarcastically. "I'll try."

Jack smiled and handed him a thermos filled with coffee. "This should keep you going until you hit Ice Land."

Daniel brightened. "Thanks." He carefully put it in the truck's beverage holder and turned to face his friend. "Jack, what I said last night-"

"You were drunk-"

"I know I was but… I meant it." Daniel pushed up his ever-falling glasses. "Relax a bit. Take the time to get to know Sam better. When this is all over, Sam will thank you for it. Do you really think she'd want to live the rest of her life believing that a lie was real?"

Jack, who had been impatiently glancing at his watch, stilled. "No," he said. "I don't think she would."

Daniel hesitated and then gave Jack a quick hug. "Call me if you need anything," he said earnestly.

"There is one thing," Jack said suddenly. "I need you to call Shanahan. Tell him Sam's okay."

The archeologist reluctantly nodded. "Okay." He opened the truck door and sat down as Teal'c started the car. "Have fun, Jack," he called out the window.

Jack shook his head and watched them until they disappeared from view. "Oy." Squaring his shoulders, he made his way back to the house. As he stepped into the living room, Sam snapped her phone closed.

"They're gone?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "They're gone."

* * *

Well… they're at the cabin and are now alone…

I'm sorry for any errors/typos/ and the jumpy parts, particularly near the end; the majority of the writing was down around midnight.

I hope you liked it!

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

At this point, I know that apologizing for not updating this story is pretty lame. All I can say is, I was experiencing the absolute _worst_ writer's block. Seriously. But, after ten PM's from a enthusiastic reader (thank you, by the way!), I forced myself to sit down and write. After eight hours, I ended up with this. I hope you like it.

A very belated **thank-you** for the reviews! It was really great reading all of them!

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**  
Chapter 10 **

Sam stirred as she slowly regained consciousness. Her hand automatically went to the left side of the bed; it was empty. Turning her head, she saw it was a quarter past three… too early to be awake. After slipping her feet into the furry slippers by the side of her bed, she pulled a robe over her pajamas and quietly made her way into the living room.

She wasn't surprised by what she saw.

Jack was fast asleep on the couch while the muted TV continued to flash images. With a soft sigh, she turned the screen off and turned to look at her husband.

For the past three nights, every single night he would kiss her good night and tell her that he would be there as soon as the game was over. And every night, he fell asleep on the couch. Things were supposed to get better with Daniel and Teal'c gone, not worse.

She bit her lip as she silently admitted what was bothering her.

Jack was avoiding her.

Why, she didn't know, but he was. Whatever was wrong with him at the S.G.C, she had hoped it was gone. He had seemed a little uncomfortable kissing her around their friends but Jack was never one for public displays of affection. She could understand that.

But even after they were gone, she would wake up and he was gone from the house. Breakfast would be waiting for her but he would be out fishing. The first two days he fished from early morning until the sun set at which point he reluctantly returned to the house, cooked dinner, did some laundry, and settled on the couch to watch whatever sport was on television.

Yesterday, tired of it, she had dragged a chair down to the dock, placed it beside his, and asked him to help her with her casting. He had taught her to fish before, when he had first brought her there several months ago, but she was surprised at how much she had forgotten. He had been hesitant but agreed. By noon, they had laughed and bantered successfully- he even feed her a grape. Things had seemed _normal_ again… until she mentioned how much it reminded her of the first day he had taught her to fish.

Jack had quieted down and after fidgeting with his rod for a few minutes, he had mumbled something about the fish not biting well while it was so cold outside and then returned to the house where he spent five hours fixing the closet rod that Daniel broke. _Five hours_ fixing a _closet rod_.

She wished for the thousandth time that Janet was alive. She knew she was probably being irrational- just newly wed paranoia or something like that. But right now, she needed her best friend to tell her that it was all right.

After kissing her husband on the cheek, she tugged the sheet over his shoulder, and made her way back to her bedroom, alone. "Good night," she whispered to the empty room before closing her eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

**- **

The clock chimed four times as Jack O'Neill rolled over on the sofa. He slowly opened his eyes and sighed aloud.

_This isn't working. _

How had he let the two Elizabeth's force him into this? This couldn't be the only way to help her get her memories back- there _had_ to be another way.

He raised himself on one arm and reached for the half empty bottle on the floor next to him. The beer was warm but he still drank it.

He started to stand but promptly lowered himself back onto the couch. Spending five hours in the cramped closet had done nothing for his bad knees or his back.

His leg began vibrating. After a few seconds, he managed to extract his cell phone from his deep pocket. "What?" he demanded quietly.

"_Did I wake you_?"

Jack mentally groaned. "Daniel, it's four o'clock."

"_It is_?" the archeologist sounded surprised. "_Sorry_."

"What time is it there?"

There was a pause. "_Um… twelveish_."

"A.M?"

_"… Yes..." _

"_Good night_, Daniel."

"_Jack_-"

Jack snapped his phone closed and dropped it on the coffee table. A moment later, it began vibrating again. He contemplated ignoring it but realized that the archeologist wouldn't give up. "This better be important," he growled.

"_Just checking to see how Sam is_."

"She's fine." Knowing what Daniel was about to ask next, Jack inquired, "How's it going down there?"

The archeologist was quickly distracted. "_Good, good_." There were sounds of someone flipping through papers. "_I've started to decipher some of the Ancient writing_-"

"Any maps leading to more of those cool power things?" Jack interrupted hopefully.

"_Not yet, but I've only just begun. This place is incredible, Jack_."

"Glad someone's having fun."

After a brief hesitation, Daniel asked, "_Is uh… everything okay between you and Sam_?"

"Oh, it's going peachy," Jack said sarcastically. "I fish, I eat, I sleep… Life's great."

"_I thought you were supposed to be helping Sam_."

"I'm doing my best, Daniel."

"_You're hiding from her, aren't you_?"

Jack silently cursed the archeologist. "Not… exactly."

"**_Jack_**."

"What the hell am I supposed to do, Daniel?" Jack demanded. "Huh? If I go along with her little fantasy, it just encourages her, and if I avoid her, I make her feel miserable. It's a no-win situation."

"_What did Dr. Brightman and Elizabeth say to do_?"

"Just a bunch of stuff about… playing along and making her realize that it was a big fat lie…"

"_You didn't listen_?"

"I had other things on my mind too." Jack defended himself.

"_Well, I talked to Elizabeth today_-"

"She say how Teal'c was?" Jack asked.

There was a heavy sigh. "_Yes, she did._ _He checked in yesterday and he's fine_."

"That's good."

"_Jack_-"

"Not getting into this, Daniel."

"_Okay, then_." He was quiet a moment. "_I may not be able to call for a while, but if something happens_-"

"I'll let you know."

"_Tell Sam I said hi_."

"Will do."

There was another pause before the archeologist reluctantly said, "_Bye_."

Jack stared at the phone before slowly closing it and replacing it on the table with a sigh.

"Who was that?"

Jack looked up to see Carter in the doorway. He couldn't help a small smile at the sleepy curiosity that was written across her face. "Daniel," he answered. "Wanted to check in, see how it was going. He says hi."

She tried to cover a yawn. "How does he like Antarctica?"

"Lots of old writing, fancy toys, bad coffee, no one to tell him to sleep… he loves it."

"I'd like to take a better look at the Ancient chair," she mused. "The power-"

"_Ah!_"

"I wasn't going to talk science," she insisted in an injured tone.

He gave her a skeptical look.

"Just…" She gave him a small reminiscent smile. "I never actually got to run any tests on the power device that we found on Taonus, and-"

"**Ah**!" He shook his head with a mock frown. "_No_ babble at cabin."

She grinned. "Sorry."

"That's all right." He leaned back. "Just… don't let it happen again."

"I'll try not to." She shuffled over to the couch; he automatically moved over so she could sit. "No promises," she warned. "I'm-"

A huge yawn cut off the end of her sentence. Jack smiled.

"Go to bed, Sam."

"Comfy, Jack," she murmured, nestling against him. "Don't get up," she pleaded a minute later as he shifted.

Jack studied the blond head resting on his shoulder for a few moments. "Okay," he said softly.

She lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you," she murmured with a sleepy smile.

"Yeah." He carefully reached for the blanket on the floor, doing his best not to disturb his 'wife'. As best as he could with one arm, he tucked it around her. Sam appreciatively curled into a ball. A few minutes later, the sounds of her even breathing assured him that she was asleep.

"Yeah," he repeated quietly. "Love you too."

**- **

The first thing Jack noticed as he drifted into consciousness was a faint tropical fragrance. When he opened his eyes, he realized why.

Carter was stretched out beside him on the couch, and he had been using the top of her head as a pillow.

He needed to get up, go outside and clear his head, but Sam's face was buried into his chest, making it impossible for him to get up without waking her.

For a brief moment, he thought about 'accidentally' jostling her awake, but another glance at her peaceful face made him decide to wait.

Jack wasn't sure how much later it was until she started to stir. A few moments later, her eyes fluttered open.

"Mornin' sleeping head," he drawled as she sat up. "Sleep all right?"

Sam stared at him for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "Morning, Jack," she said, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. "Hungry?"

"I'm uh… I'm good."

Sam got to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen as Jack made his way to the bedroom. He swiftly changed into new clothing and pulled his favorite sweatshirt over his head. Immerging from his room, he found Carter on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee and skimming a science magazine she must've smuggled with her. She set it aside when she saw him.

"So what are your plans for the day?" she asked after a moment of silence.

He shrugged, trying to avoid looking at her. "Nothin' much. I was thinking driving to this little lake 'bout a half hour away. Some guys I know go there Saturdays- thought I might go and catch up."

"Oh." A look of disappointment crossed her face. "Okay." She managed a small smile. "I guess I'll just…" she waved her hand in the air vaguely. "Read."

"Sam."

She glanced at him. "Yeah?"

None of the internal struggle Jack felt was shown as he asked her, "Do you wanna come?"

* * *

I have the next chapter almost written- the entire chapter is outlined and I have sections finished. So, if everything goes as planned, it should be up next Sunday.

Please review!!


	11. Chapter 11

Oh my word. I have become what I have always hated: the author who updates every two years. So much has happened in the past few years! I won't bore you with _all _the details and momentous occasions, other than I am now a proud aunt to two and I am now starting my second year of college! I am completely re-dedicated to finishing this story if people want to keep reading it though! For reals.

Also, I know almost nothing about fishing (except that there's a hook, reel, and line), except for what I found online a few minutes ago. Any error in fishing techniques I apologize for in advance.

Thank you for sticking with this story for so long, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 11**

There was a pond, approximately half an hour away from the cabin that Jack visited whenever he came up to his cabin alone. The locals in the small town near by jealously kept the secret of the ponds existence from 'outsiders'. Jack's family has visited faithfully every summer while he was growing up and so even though his visits were infrequent, he was still considered 'one of us' and greeted as such. Gathered at the pond every weekend, he knew he'd find the town's three biggest fishing enthusiasts.

Those three men were also three of his father's best friends. They had taken him fishing with his father, they had showed up at his high school graduation, and they were there the day he had married Sara.

Shaking his head slightly, he checked his watch and then glanced at Sam. She was now contentedly browsing a book he recognized to be one of Teal'c's science fiction novels.

"Why do you read that stuff?" he asked. "You know it's all crap."

She grinned as she looked up. "But don't you like to see _what_ they got wrong?"

"You know me and sci-fi."

Sam shook her head. "We _live_ in a sci-fi novel," she pointed out, returning to her book with a little laugh.

Jack sighed almost inaudibly. "That we do," he said quietly. "Carter," he began after a moment. "Couldja open the glove box?"

Sam bookmarked her place and promptly opened the glove box. "What do you need?"

He pointed to a small, thin white box. She handed it to him. With his eyes still on the road, he opened it. He removed an object and then passed the box to her. She gazed at its contents.

"My wedding ring," she murmured, glancing at her empty ring finger. "I-I didn't notice it was gone."

"Brightman removed it when we brought you to the S.G.C."

"_So… we're going."_

_Elizabeth Weir looked up from the stack of paperwork on her desk. Saving the Earth might be good and all that, but it seemed to Jack there was an awful lot of paperwork involved. "Good luck, Colonel," she said sincerely to the man in the doorway._

_He raised a shoulder and turned to leave._

"_Colonel O'Neill?"_

_Jack stopped and slowly turned around, a questioning look on his face,_

_Elizabeth Weir walked to his side and simply handed him a jeweler's box. Inside was a matching set of wedding rings. "I hope the trip goes well," was all she said, closing the door behind him._

He shook his head slightly, returning to the present. "Just remembered I had it."

Sam gave him one of her special smiles- the ones only he got- as she slipped the wedding band. "Thanks, Jack."

He turned his attention back to the road, wondering how the 'guys' would take to his 'wife'.

**-**

"Hey Karl, pass me that box, will ya?"

The elderly man silently pushed the tackle box his friend has gestured to over to him.

"Thanks."

Karl nodded and cast his fishing line. He let his float skim the surface of the water for a moment before reeling in and casting again, his two friends doing the same.

There was a period of comfortable silence before Dave Johnson, a short, balding man with a crusty face, spied the black truck making its way towards the little lake. "Looks like we're about to have some company."

Karl gave a small, easy smile. "'Bout time that boy dropped by," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. "Haven't seen him around these parts lately."

"Works hard," agreed the third man.

The truck rolled to a stop and Jack stepped out of the car. They were about to call out greetings when he surprised them all by helping a woman out of the car.

"He's got a lady friend?" Dave asked his friends. "I didn't know the kid was seeing anyone."

Karl gave an approving nod. "He didn't say he was, but I thought there might be someone special."

"She's a beaut," Mike Russell observed as he baited his hook. "Jack's got good taste."

The men quieted until the couple stopped, a few feet away from them.

"Hey," Jack said after a moment. "Guys, this is Car-" he caught himself, "Sam. Sam, this is Dave, Karl, and Mike." He gestured to them in turn. "They were friends of my dad's."

Mike leaned his pole against his chair and held out his hand, a welcoming smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

She smiled back. 'It's nice to meet you too, sir. And it's Sam."

Dave slapped Jack on the back. "About time you got yourself a girlfriend," he said, eyeing Sam with approval.

Sam glanced at him and then at Jack who answered slowly, "Actually, Sam and I… we're married."

The three men didn't even blink as they digested the news. Sam darted a quick glance at Jack before offering a small nervous smile.

"Well, how 'bout that," Dave said slowly. "It's 'bout time, Jack." He gave Sam a friendly grin. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"We've been trying to get him hitched," Mike explained. "Looks like he did a fine job."

She blushed and looked at the last man who appeared to be studying her. The elderly man's scrutiny didn't bother her; she could tell these men genuinely cared for Jack and wanted what was best for him. Meeting his eyes, she was secretly pleased when he gave the smallest nod and held out his hand. "Karl, Ms. Sam," he said.

"Just Sam," she said quickly. "And it's nice to meet you… Karl." He gave her another quick nod and settled back in his seat.

Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "So…" He looked down at the chairs, poles, and other equipment he carried. "Shall we fish?"

**-**

"Beer?"

Karl nodded and accepted the glass bottle offered him. He took a long drink before setting it down and looking at his companion. "Jack, what's going on with you and your wife?"

The Colonel started at the abrupt question. "What?"

"I know you, boy. Something's bothering you."

He fiddled with his pole. "I really can't say."

Karl nodded, accepting the answer for the moment. "All right, then."

Jack found himself watching his second-in-command. She stood ankle deep in the shallow part of the pond, Dave and Mike watching her try to cast and laughing good-naturedly at the mistakes. Her face was aglow with happiness and she was laughing.

She was _happy_.

Part of him had always secretly wondered if Carter's 'crush' on him was merely because he was one of the few men that were there. Jonas, Narim, Martouf, Joe… men passed in and out of her life. Even Daniel had died a few times, which could be considered as abandonment. But not him. He was the one constant in her life… granted he was a pain in the ass, but he _was_ there.

Watching her now though, he was forced to question his assumption. She seemed happy. She _was_ happy- not because he was the only person she _could_ be with, but because she was with _him._

But was that because of Fifth's fantasy? He sighed as the doubts crept over him again.

Karl glanced at Jack. The Colonel had pensive the past few hours. Something obviously weighed on his mind, but he had yet to say anything. Ever since they arrived three hours ago, Jack had sat in his chair, aimlessly casting, keeping an eye on his wife but seemingly trying to avoid spending time with her. She had called for him several times but he waved her off, telling her that the other two men were better teachers and she would be better off with them. The older man had noted she had smiled and turned back but her shoulders were slumped slightly, her earlier buoyancy gone. Mike and Dave had also noticed and exerted all their energy to making her laugh again- and succeeded. He took a sip of beer.

Jack's cell phone vibrated. He didn't make a move to answer it. Once it finally stopped, he retrieved it to make sure it wasn't Weir or Hammond, calling to inform him that Earth was in grave peril. A small groan escaped him when he saw the number. "_Pete_." He was momentarily surprised that the cop had his number before he realized it was actually Carter's phone. He had absently borrowed it several days ago and never returned it to her. Though, he realized, Pete _was _a cop… he could find out his number.

"Friend of yours?" Karl asked with a small grin, noting the hint of dismay and displeasure in the colonel's voice.

"Carter's boyfriend." Jack flinched as the words escaped him. The phone vibrated again.

Karl stilled. He laid his fishing rod on the ground, wiped his glasses clean and turned to face the man fully. "She pregnant?" he asked abruptly.

"_What?_" Jack choked. The phone was still for a moment and then began vibrating once more.

"You heard me," the older man said sternly. "Your wife's _boyfriend_ is calling you-" he gave a disdain-filled look at the device- _"obviously_ wanting to talk? I say that something isn't right. I know you, Jack. You're not going to steal and marry someone else's girl… 'less it's to do the proper thing."

Jack's mouth hung open; after a few moments- but what seemed like minutes- he started, "No, Karl-"

"Though she don't seem the type to marry just 'cause she's in the family way," the elderly man mused.

"She's not my wife." The words seemed wrung out of him. "It's complicated."

Karl's eyes slightly widened. Gesturing to the phone, he asked, "Is she married to him then? You just foolin' around with another man's wife?"

"Damn it," Jack complained. "No! Carter's… dating him. They're not married… and we"- he gestured to himself and Sam- "we're not married."

"Then why did you say you were?" the elderly man questioned, any hint of frustration carefully concealed.

"Complicated."

"You on some kind of undercover mission?"

"_No_, Karl."

"Then why the hell-"

"She has amnesia," Jack finally said, exasperated.

Karl stared at him for a moment. "You're playing husband to a woman who doesn't remember a thing?"

"She thinks we're married," the Colonel muttered.

"So you're pretending to be married until the amnesia goes 'way."

"Yes."

The old man pulled off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. "Son," he began slowly," that's just about the stupidest plan I've ever heard."

"I couldn't agree more," Jack assured Karl as he looked back over at Sam. "But uh… it's what I have to do."

"Then why don't you go out there and act like you're married?"

Jack looked puzzled and Karl added, "You've ignored her almost the entire time she's been here. Go over; help her out with her fishing, whatever. Just go _act_ like her husband."

The Colonel seemed to struggle with himself. After a few moments, he dropped his pole and stood up. He silently nodded towards his friend before making his way over to Sam.

-

"Catch anything?"

Sam started slightly as a hand was laid on her shoulder. Recognizing the voice, she didn't turn around, merely shook her head. "A friend once told me that it was all about the act of fishing," she said quietly. "That and I think the fish are all gathered over there, mocking me." Tilting her head, she studied the shaded area she had gestured to. "When I get back to the cabin, I'm going to run some simulations to try and figure out the most productive area to-"

"Ah!" Jack protested. "Carter, this is supposed to be fun- not work!"

"That _is_ fun for me Jack," she murmured with a small smile.

"I get you out of the lab, out into-" he waved his hands airily about- "_this_… and you want to go back to the lab and turn it all into tech speak."

Sam barely shook her head. "No," she said quickly. "I'm happy here."

Jack belatedly realized that she remembered leaving the SGC for good after the whole Fifth-torture thing and coming to stay at the cabin. "Right," he muttered, mentally berating himself. Here he was, dragging her even deeper into Fifth's fantasy, when he was supposed to be pulling her out… in a matter of speaking.

He stopped his silent upbraiding when he noticed she was shivering. He automatically pulled off his jacket and offered it to her. After a moment, she took it and slid her arms into it.

Jack knew her well enough to know when she was bothered; he was probably one of the few people in the universe who knew all the little signs that indicated Carter's current mood.

And right now, she was bothered.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

She toyed with her rod. "Nothing," she finally answered.

Sara had always complained about _his_ lack of communication. "Carter," he started, pulling her around to face him. "I know you well enough to know when something's not right."

Sam could barely look at him. She tried to speak and stopped multiple times before finally blurting, "Did I do something wrong?"

"What?" He wasn't sure if he was hearing her right.

"You can barely stand to be in the same room as me, let alone even kiss me. We used to have fun, Jack. Was I right? Did marriage really screw up whatever the hell it was we had?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but she continued on, "You were the one who insisted we _get _married. Was it a pity marriage?"

"_What_?" The Colonel stared at the irate woman before him. How had this gotten out of hand so fast? "Car-"

"Was it just to solve the problem? Jack O'Neill, not knowing how to deal with his crazy second-in-command, just married her to get rid of it?" Sam swung her fishing pole at him, the hook dangling precariously near his nostril; without thinking, he reached for the pole. She let go as soon as his hand wrapped around the fiberglass, and stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked so fragile that Jack's resolve crumbled. He couldn't help but remember how he had found her just a few weeks ago, all covered in replicator bits, so pale he thought for a gut-wrenching second she might be dead. The look of absolute confusion and uncertainty in her eyes after she finally awakened was mirrored now in her bright blue eyes, shiny with unshed tears of frustration and bewilderment. He hadn't wanted to go along with this cockamamie plan because he wanted to save her any future pain, but right now he was only hurting her. Now his reasons seemed irrelevant.

Sam swallowed hard as she watched her expressionless husband stand there, just staring at her. Anger drained, she barely shook her head and turned away, focusing on the faint ripples across the lake. "Never mind. Let's just go home, Jack."

"Carter."

She didn't turn around. "I'm done fighting for this, Jack. First you were hot, now you're cold, you were all yes and now you're always saying no."

"Carter."

Sam bit her lip. She hadn't heard him say her name like that in a long time. The half exasperated, half affectionate way he used to always shout out her name. "I'm serious. You need to make up your mind whether you are in or out of this."

"Sam. Look at me."

Unwillingly, she turned slowly, careful to maintain her footing on the algae covered rocks. Jack stood there, face still expressionless, but his eyes full of indecision. After studying her face for a second, he dropped the rod he still held and moved closer, ignoring the cold water that began to soak his pants. "Samantha Carter," he began slowly, "I'm sorry."

Slightly taken aback at the feeling of his tone, she started to speak, but he put his finger on his lips, his eyes pleading for her to be quiet. "I've been doing a lot of thinking," he continued, "about what the right thing to do is. And honestly… I haven't got a goddamn clue." Jack stopped and took a deep breath as he struggled for the words to say, acutely aware he was confusing her. "I just… I want you to know… I'm all in. This… thing… I'm all in."

"Our _marriage_?" slipped past her lips before she could stop it. "It's not a thing, Jack, you—"

He cut her off with a nod, not breaking eye contact. "I'm in, Sam. Always and forever."

"No more hiding in the closets?"

"Nope."

"No more fourteen-hour fishing stints?"

He smiled. "I'll cut back."

"You won't fall asleep on the couch every night?"

Moving in, Jack carefully cupped her head in his hands. "Promise," he whispered before kissing her, his commitment to his assignment firming as their kiss deepened.

On the opposite end of the shore, the three men exchanged looks as they sipped their beard. By the way Jack and his girl were acting, whatever earlier issues they had seemed to be resolved. As Dave and Mike exchanged satisfied glances, Karl leaned backed in his chair. Whatever was going on with Sam and her amnesia didn't matter to him. For the first time since Charlie had died, he could tell Jack had what he needed. That was all that mattered to him.

_Bzzzzz…. Bzzzzz…._

Looking down, he saw the cell phone Jack had been holding earlier lying on the ground, lit up as 'Pete's' name flashed on the screen. Picking it up, he held for a few seconds before tossing it in the lake. Looking at his friend's quizzical faces, he shrugged. "It's for the best," is all he said before casting one last time.

I don't feel I have the right to ask, but please, let me know if anyone wants an ending to this!

Morgann


End file.
